Four members of Turkey’s media watchdog criticize Erdoğan’s rallies

ISTANBUL

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Four members of Turkey’s media watchdog have said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was violating broadcasting principles and election law, by conducting rallies across the country right before the general elections in June.

The four members of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), who were elected from the opposition parties Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), said it was against broadcasting principles for Erdoğan to ask for 400 votes, thus ruining his impartiality. His speeches also caused the opposition parties to receive disproportionate air time, daily BirGün reported May 16.

A member of RTÜK from CHP’s quota, Süleyman Demirkan, said RTÜK’s head and managers were not observing and reporting the infringements of RTÜK and election laws.

“[They] are openly making an effort to stop the documents from being sent to the Supreme Election Board [YSK]. If there is a courageous prosecutor, I am making a denunciation. They should deal with this issue,” Demirkan said.

Esat Çıplak, a member of RTÜK from MHP’s quota, said RTÜK was “totally ignoring the law.”