The US Republican Party said on Thursday that its future presidential candidates may not participate in debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CDP) due to concerns about equity, which could break decades of tradition.
In a letter to the nonprofit committee, which has been organizing the contests since 1988, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel explained that the party is considering changing its rules to ensure that its candidates do not participate in debates because of concerns about ” whether CDP can credibly provide a fair and impartial forum”.
McDaniel added that the party would try to help future Republican presidential nominees participate in more fairly organized debates. It is unclear what form these clashes would take or whether they would occur as often as they have in recent decades.
The change in GOP rules could come at a party meeting scheduled for February in Salt Lake City.
Before the founding of the CDP in 1987, parties or campaigns directly negotiated the terms of debates. This system is similar to the one in Brazil, in which the campaigns agree with each organizer the rules of the clashes.
The imminent landing comes as political divisions in the US have deepened and the possibility of fewer debates could leave Americans with less access to unfiltered information about their would-be leaders.
At the same time, Republicans have long accused the commission, founded to regulate debates as a permanent part of presidential elections, of being biased in favor of Democratic candidates.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump also worry that the CDP could hold its first debate for the 2024 election after early voting begins, as it did in 2020.
Last year, McDaniel and other party officials asked the commission to agree to changes in the way the debates were conducted. The president said Republicans also wanted a limit on how long directors remain on the board.
In the 2020 election, Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate, as the Covid-19 pandemic led to restrictions on holding a face-to-face debate. The first forum between him and Biden was marked by chaos, with interruptions, name-calling and shouting between the two candidates.
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