‘Kim Jong Un’ Award from İYİ Party to State Channel TRT

Click to read the article in Turkish

İYİ Party İstanbul Provincial Organization has granted "Kım Jong Un press and democracy award" with Deputy Chair Ümit Özdağ to the state channel TRT in protest of its "biased broadcasting and embargo against the İYİ Party during the election period".

Özdağ and İstanbul Provincial Organization Chair Samet Reis conveyed the award to TRT authorities.

İYİ Party members went in front of TRT's building located in district of Ulus, İstanbul, hung a banner of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's photo.

Issuing a statement after the protest, Özdağ said, "TRT's decision is disrespectful against Turkish people. They carry out a pro-government broadcasting with the taxes we pay. Such a mindset is left only in the North Korea, that's why we give them North Korea award. May them be happy with this".

Özdağ shared the photo, which he was taken in front of the banner, with the note "We gave TRT an award, the award it deserves".

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Presidential chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, İYİ Party candidate Meral Akşener and main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Muharrem İnce declared that they will not deliver propaganda speeches on TRT before the June 24 parliamentary and presidential elections.

How much were the parties covered by the TRT

According to a report released by the Transparency International (TI) concerning how much state channel TRT has spared time to presidential candidates during the election campaign period ahead of June 24 presidential and general elections, the time spared on TRT to the candidates from May 4 to May 31 is as follows:

People's Alliance candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: 105 minutes / 65 percent

CHP's candidate Muharrem İnce: 37 minutes / 22 percent

İYİ Party's candidate Meral Akşener: 14 minutes / 9 percent

Felicity Party's candidate Temel Karamollaoğlu: 5 minutes / 3 percent

Vatan Party's candidate Doğu Perinçek: 2 minutes

HDP's candidate Selahattin Demirtaş: 0.3 minutes (18 seconds). (AS/TK)