The Information Ministry is putting together a plan to ensure equal broadcast time for all political parties ahead of the upcoming elections, said Information Minister Osama Heikal on Sunday.
In a phone conversation with state-run TV, Heikal said state-run media has an equal distance from all candidates.
The ruling military council called for a meeting of representatives of political parties, experts from the Supreme Constitutional Court, members from the High Elections Commission, and Interior and Information ministry officials to ensure that elections are held on schedule and that the electoral process is transparent and clean, he added.
Before the 25 January revolution, publicity for Hosni Mubarak’s now-dismantled National Democratic Party (NDP) dominated state-run media, including TV, radio and newspapers.
In March, former ministers of information and finance, Anas al-Fiqqi and Youssef Boutros-Ghali, were referred for trial for alleged involvement in squandering LE36 million on election campaigns for the NDP in the last parliamentary election before Mubarak was ousted.
According to investigations conducted by Public Prosecution, Fiqqi asked the Finance Ministry for that amount for the publicity campaign preceding parliamentary elections.
Cairo Criminal Court, however, found them both innocent in July.
