32. Are there provisions for free or subsidized access to media for political parties?

Opposition parties complain that the ruling party makes unfair use of the Government Information Service (GIS) and the recently established, government-owned National Television Network (NTN), both of which are overseen by the Department of Information Service (DIS). To the degree that this is true, it is balanced somewhat by the provision of a small amount of free airtime on the partially government owned Radio St. Still, the ruling party remains at an advantage as the time allotted is based on a political party’s relative strength in parliament. During the last elections in 2001, for example, Radio St. Lucia gave one fifteen-minute and one twenty-minute slot to the ruling party, one twenty-minute slot to the official opposition party, one ten-minute slot to any other party that had nominated candidates, and a five-minute slot to independent candidates.” Source: Ryan, Selwyn, Disclosure and Enforcement of Political Party and Campaign Financing in CARICOM States in Griner, Steven & Zovatto, Daniel (ed. by) (2005), From Grassroots to the Airwaves: Paying for Political Parties and Campaigns in The Caribbean, The Organization of American States (OAS) and International IDEA, Washington D.C, 2005

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