Backgrounder: US presidential debates

U.S. Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, held their first presidential debate on Monday in Hempstead, New York.

The debate was hosted by Lester Holt, an NBC News veteran who moderated the general election debate for the first time. The debate had three major topics: securing America, America's direction and achieving prosperity.

Debates are a time-honored tradition in U.S. elections. While the first nationally televised presidential debate was not held until 1960, several other debates were considered predecessors to the presidential debates, including the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in the middle of the 19th century.

The first nationally televised general election presidential debate was held on Sept. 26, 1960, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

But no general election debates were held for the elections of 1964, 1968 and 1972.

It was not until 1976 that presidential debates became a formality of the presidential election.

Some of the presidential debates can feature the candidates standing behind their podiums, or sitting at conference tables with the moderator on the other side.

Depending on the agreed format, either the moderator or an audience member can ask questions.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters organized presidential debates in 1976, 1980 and 1984.

Since 1988, the two major political parties assumed control of organizing presidential debates through the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Some criticized the exclusion of third-party and independent candidates, but it is hard for any third-party or independent candidate to pass the threshold of a 15-percent approval rating to get a ticket to the debate.

The only exception was in 1992, when a third-party candidate, billionaire Ross Perot, joined a debate with George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

After Monday's debate, Clinton and Trump will hold two other debates respectively on Oct. 9 and Oct. 19, while Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, and Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, will face off on Oct. 4.

Source : XINHUA