Public Media Not Equitably Accessible To All Political Parties – United Nations

Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the Africa Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the Africa Union, Hanna Tetteh, has said that state-owned media must be accessible to all political parties now that campaign rallies have been banned. 

Marking the end of her visit to Zambia, Ms Tetteh said during a meeting with stakeholders that is was obvious that state-owned media was not equitably accessible to all political parties.

“During an election, the voters need to know the choices of leaders available and their programmes in order to make informed decisions…it has been continually raised that public media is not equitably accessible to all political parties…this is particularly important in view of the suspension on political rallies which makes access to the media as one of the key alternatives for campaigns,” Ms Tetteh said during an interview.

Unfair advantage towards the current ruling party the Patriotic Front also appears to apply within the current ban on campaign rallies, Ms Tetteh noticed.

“The issue was raised that the notification of suspension of political rallies was disadvantageous to the opposition and at the same time they felt the government was not respecting those directives,” she said.

Adding to this, Ms Tetteh advised that it was “important that protocols are applied consistently by the relevant authorities, so that all political parties and candidates are given equitable and equal opportunities to campaign.”

Photo: Royal African Society