Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun criticized some foreign media outlets for their "biased" coverage of the upcoming elections in Türkiye, as he said they are taking sides besides lacking neutrality.

"So-called prestigious international media groups openly and publicly do not hesitate in picking sides for the elections in Türkiye," Altun said while addressing a panel discussion organized by Türkiye's Communications Directorate, International Fight against Disinformation on Social Media Platforms, in the capital Ankara.

Altun blamed the media groups for publishing "offensive and slanderous" headlines.

"We are confronted with unimaginable slander and perception operations about our (Turkish) President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Türkiye in the national and global arena," he said.

The British weekly The Economist, in its May 6 issue's cover story on Turkish elections, used tags such as "Save democracy" and "Erdogan must go."

French Le Point and L'Express magazines also featured anti-Erdoğan covers.

In Türkiye, the presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on May 14.

On the presidential ballot, voters will choose between Erdoğan, who is seeking reelection, the main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, and Sinan Oğan. Muharrem Ince, another presidential contender, withdrew from the race on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 24 political parties and 151 independent candidates are vying for seats in the 600-member Turkish parliament.