HDP to Send a Member to Radio and Television Supreme Council After 2 Years

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An election will be held at the General Assembly of the Parliament to choose members to be sent to the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

As the third biggest party of the Parliament with 62 MPs, the HDP will send a member to the RTÜK after an interval of almost two years.

As reported by Nergis Demirkaya from Gazete Duvar website, the RTÜK has nine members and these members are determined based on the number of MPs owned by political parties having a group at the Parliament.

According to the results of the Parliamentary elections on June 7, 2015, the number of members to be sent by the AKP was specified as four, by the main opposition CHP and MHP as two each and by the HDP as one.

AKP granted the right of extra quota

On July 15, 2017, the terms of office of two RTÜK members from the AKP and CHP ended. However, no polls were held to choose new members and the election was adjourned to October. The term of office of the HDP member would expire on November 5.

In the election held in this process, the Speaker's Office gave the AKP the right to send one more member to the RTÜK. That being the case, the total number of AKP members at RTÜK increased to five and the HDP had no member left at the Council though it had more MPs than the MHP.

This week, polls will be held at the General Assembly of the Parliament to choose new members from the AKP, CHP and HDP to replace the ones, whose terms in office ended on July 15. Thus, the HDP will send a member to the RTÜK after two years. After the polls at the General Assembly, the ruling AKP will lose its majority at the RTÜK. (HA/SD)