A Fine Gael MEP has demanded an explanation from RTE of why it invited the Taoiseach to appear as a soccer pundit on television on Saturday night.
Mr John Cushnahan yesterday described Mr Ahern's appearance on RTE's The Premiership as a panellist on Saturday night as "a serious error of judgment" by the national broadcasting station.
He compared RTE's attitude to the Taoiseach to that of the state broadcaster of Belarus to its "autocratic" president, Mr Alexander Lukashenko. In an article in Saturday's Financial Times, according to Mr Cushnahan, Mr Lukashenko was said to have no problem gaining access to state television, where he was "a staple diet".
The FT analysis stated: "He leads the evening news, inaugurating the connection of a gas supply to a provincial housing estate. The sports news brings him back again as a football pundit."
Mr Cushnahan said: "We are in the run-up to an important general election which, according to some political commentators, could be held within a matter of weeks. In such a sensitive political situation, how can RTE justify its invitation?"
He said that this "serious error of judgment" had been further compounded by the Taoiseach's subsequent appearance on RTE's nine o'clock news to talk about his earlier appearance on RTE's premiership soccer show.
He asked whether RTE editors considered it more important to interview Mr Ahern about soccer rather than his performance as leader of the Government. "Practically every other Dail candidate is a sports fan. There is no chance that they will be given similar treatment by RTE," he said. The incident was but one in a series of soft interviews with Mr Ahern.