The Broadcasting Authority is assisting the State broadcaster to suppress the voice of Alternattiva Demokratika on the national station, AD deputy chairman Carmel Cacopardo said.

In a harshly worded statement he said the Broadcasting Authority was not observing its own directive.

On January 16 the authority stated: “In a debate between leaders or deputy leaders of political parties these are (to be) treated in a similar manner not only in the permissible time but also in the way they are handled by the presenter.”

On January 18 AD had lodged formal protests with the authority over the manner in which its leader and deputy were treated during various programmes.

But, in a decision on Wednesday, the authority said it did not find anything objectionable when, during the debate between the party leaders on Xarabank (aired on TVM), AD chairman Michael Briguglio was allotted less time than the leaders of the Nationalist and Labour parties.

Nor did the Broadcasting Authority consider anything objectionable when, on other programmes aired by the State broadcaster, AD spokesmen were only asked to speak for a few minutes and then invited to leave the set.

“In this situation where both the PN and the PL control a TV station as well as a radio station, the Broadcasting Authority which is made up of PN and PL nominees, is being an accomplice with PBS in suffocating AD’s voice on public broadcasting,” he said.