YSK rejects HDP's complaint on Erdoğan
ANKARA (DİHA) - Just one month before Turkey’s June 7 parliamentary election, the Supreme Election Board (YSK) has rejected an appeal from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which requested the body to warn the office of the presidency about “holding the election in line with principle of impartialness.”
In its appeal filed on May 6, the HDP requested a series of measures including a formal warning to the office of incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and making sure that principles of fair broadcasting are applied.
The HDP also said Erdoğan has been “exploiting religion,” openly targeting the opposition parties, and “engaging in polemics with opposition leaders.” The YSK, however, rejected the HDP's appeal late May 6 unanimously.
In its petition to the election board, the HDP listed dozens of examples that it said showed how the president had used various rallies to publicly deliver statements in favor of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and against the opposition parties.
Citing seven rallies that Erdoğan has held since March 10, when the official calendar for electioneering was kicked off, including the May 4 rally in Siirt, the HDP underlined that these rallies were being held under the title of “collective opening ceremonies” for public facilities.
All these rallies with political content are aired live on most television channels, with public broadcaster TRT in first place, the HDP underlined. At all of the rallies, Erdoğan has praised the ruling AKP, of which he was a founder, and asked for support for it. “At his rallies, he [Erdoğan] had our party booed,” the HDP said, noting that ministers from the AKP and candidates running on the AKP ticket for the June 7 vote attended the rallies, seated in the protocol seats.
The constitution
Erdoğan’s speeches delivered at various points from April 1 to May 4 were broadcast live on TRT Haber for 13-and-a-half hours in total, the HDP stated, noting that the length and details of the speeches could be accessed from the media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).
(nt)
