Turkish presidential elections were held to “unfair advantage” for re-elected President Erdogan, say European election observers. Media bias and restrictions on freedom of expression have led to unequal conditions that Erdogan has taken advantage of, concludes the monitoring mission of the European organizations OSCE and the Council of Europe.
The circumstances “in many respects did not provide the conditions for democratic elections to be held.” Erdogan won yesterday against his challenger Kilicdaroglu with a small difference. The election had been criticized in advance as unfair. Among other things, attacks on election observers were reported during the polls.
Official duties abused
According to observers, Erdogan used his official duties for the election campaign. “Combined with the continued use of public funds for campaign purposes, this has given the incumbent president an unfair advantage.” In addition, supporters of some opposition parties continue to face intimidation and harassment.
Observers also denounce the lack of transparency of the electoral authority. Furthermore, public broadcasters clearly favored Erdogan, and a “similar bias was also present in many private media”. The Turkish electoral authority, on the other hand, spoke of a problem-free election.
Source: BNR
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