Public broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) allocated 10 times more election coverage to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) alliance than other political parties in February, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Monday.
TRT covered the AKP-MHP election alliance for 53 hours in February while it covered the other political parties, namely the election alliance of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and İYİ (Good) Party, for six hours.
Turkey will hold local elections on March 31.
The TRT attracts widespread criticism for failing to give sufficient coverage to the opposition parties.
Around 70 percent of TRT’s funding comes from a tax levied on electricity bills. Every time a Turkish taxpayer pays an electricity bill, 2 percent of the amount due goes to TRT.
Last July TRT was put under direct control of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is also the AKP’s leader.
Most rallies held by Erdoğan and the AKP are broadcast live by the station during election campaigns.