Lack of fair media opportunity in Turkish elections

The Kurdish problem-focused Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) filed an official complaint to Turkey?s Supreme Election Board (YSK) on May 5, claiming that President Tayyip Erdo?an has been taking sides on behalf of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti), despite the president?s political neutrality outlined in the constitution.

The HDP asked the YSK to warn the president, as well as the media, about the coverage of his almost daily speeches, which in practice double-up the AK Parti campaign for the June 7 elections along with Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu?s rallies.

The YSK has no authority over the president beyond the power to issue a call to him. Actually, no other institution has authority over the president. Article 105 of the constitution states that the president can only be tried in court in the event of a case of ?treason.? So if Erdo?an openly demands votes for the AK Party, nobody can do anything about it. Erdo?an uses the same rhetoric in all his speeches: Yes, I am taking sides, I take sides with the people, he says, as if all his opponents are ?against the people.?

However, the YSK does have authority over the Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) in election times. RTÜK, in turn, has authority over at least the public broadcaster TRT. Working on a state budget, TRT must give fair coverage to all parties according to the votes they received in the most recent elections. Ahead of the local elections in March 2014, upon a complaint filed by the social democratic main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP), RTÜK had told the YSK to warn TRT over its unfair coverage weighted against all opposition parties.

Yesterday on May 5, President Erdo?an was speaking at a rally in the western province of...