Pressure mounting on RTÉ over exclusion of Independent candidates from election debatesv
RTÉ is coming under increasing pressure over the exclusion of candidates from the upcoming election debates.
Politicians standing in the mayoral election in Limerick have criticised the broadcaster over the exclusion of non-party candidates from a televised debate this Monday.
The national broadcaster has already faced significant criticism over the exclusion of certain candidates from its suite of debates ahead of the local and European elections on June 7.
The Limerick mayoral race is the first of its kind in Ireland, and could form the basis for similar elections in other cities.
Independent candidates, including former Department of Finance secretary-general John Moran and businesswoman Helen O’Donnell, are considered to be among the frontrunners for the contest.
Mr Moran yesterday criticised the decision to exclude him from the debates. He said: ‘Over the weekend, I received with disbelief a letter from Upfront With Katie Hannon of RTÉ to inform me that I was not invited to be a member of their panel of candidates to help voters pick their preferred candidate for the role of executive mayor of Limerick.’
He said the ‘sad truth’ was that Ms Hannon and her team had been let down by a ‘ridiculous, deeply flawed and exclusionary process’, imposed by RTÉ ‘top brass’. He remarked: ‘The voice of Independent candidates like me who have never been a member of a political party and therefore can put Limerick above party politics and rules should not be silenced in this way.’
He added: ‘RTÉ has admitted to my campaign that they failed completely to consider the unique, first-time nature of the election of a mayor for all of Limerick, where being an independent – being able to work with all of the parties – would be an obvious advantage.’
His rival, Brian Leddin, a Green Party TD also seeking to become Limerick Mayor, has been granted a place in the debate.
But he has joined calls for the Independents to be added.
He said: ‘I would like to see RTÉ extend the criteria of the televised debate to include a number of Independent candidates.
‘A number of prominent candidates in the Limerick mayoral election are being excluded from a critical debate under the criteria as they stand.’
He said he was always ‘happy to debate issues for Limerick any time, any place, with anyone’.
This comes after the Social Democrats European candidates for the Midlands North West and the Southern constituency both complained that they are set to be excluded from the debates on RTÉ.
Over the weekend Kevin Bakhurst, the director general of RTÉ, publicly defended the decision-making process over who is selected for the debates. He tweeted: ‘For the avoidance of any doubt, the criteria for participation in the debates are set out openly and clearly here.’
Under the rules a candidate may be selected if they are already an elected MEP, TD, senator or councillor, has achieved 5% or more of a vote in a constituency election or if the party they are standing for has won at least one seat in the European election or two seats in the last general election.
However, Lisa Chambers, Fianna Fáil’s candidate in the Midlands North West, responded to Mr Bakhurst, saying: ‘You can understand frustration from candidates as these debates are considered
‘Ridiculous, deeply flawed process’
Being excluded from RTÉ
influential and you are facilitating only 8 out of 28. Perhaps with such a large number of candidates RTÉ should consider having more than one TV debate per constituency?’ The Irish Daily Mail also reported on complaints from Ciaran Mullooly, the Independent Ireland candidate and former RTÉ News reporter, that he too was excluded from the debates. The former midlands correspondent has asserted that he is being excluded from RTÉ on account of his criticism of the national broadcaster. When asked about the selection process for the Limerick mayoral debate, an RTÉ spokeswoman pointed to Mr Bakhurst’s statement.