Campaign Aims to Restart Presidential Debates on TV

İbrahim Betil from Balance and Inspection Network (Denge ve Denetleme Ağı) launched a change.org campaign urging presidential candidates Demirtaş, İhsanoğlu and Erdoğan to discuss on certain issues on television at least two times before the elections.

Betil told bianet that electorate will elect the president for the first time in Turkey and emphasized on how they should listen the candidates' opinions from their own lips.

Equal time to all candidates

Betil emphasized that three candidates must participate on the same TV program to discuss on individuals instead of joining different programs.

"We expect that they'll answer the moderator's questions by equal time such as two or three minutes. Therefore, any of them won’t spend the times more than others. "  

"Thanks to this occasion, electorate will understand clearly the candidates' opinions, what they defend and how they explain their arguments. Therefore, they can be more conscious when they proceed to the elections."

This tradition existed before   

"In Turkey, this tradition existed but unfortunately ended in early 2000s. During 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, candidates had participate the same platform and discussed each other in TRT [Turkey's State Television]. It was a culture. It must be revived now.

"Many countries with progressive democracy also use this system.  For instance, in the U.S., the candidates appear on television and exchange their views, discuss mutually. I think that this is necessary for democracy." (EKN/GOA/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.