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Article 20
 

Pre-Election Campaign through Mass Media

 

1. Presidential candidates and parties (party alliances) running for the National Assembly shall have the right to use paid and free air time (including live broadcasts) on Public Radio and Public Television, on equal conditions.

2. For every national election, the procedures for allocating free and paid air time on Public Radio and Public Television to presidential candidates and parties (party alliances) running for the National Assembly, as well as the scheduling of such air time shall be set by the Central Electoral Commission on the day following the deadline for registration of candidates.

3. Public Television and Public Radio shall be required to provide equal conditions for all candidates and parties (party alliances) running in any given election. News programs broadcast on Public Television and Public Radio shall present impartial and non-judgmental information about pre-election campaign run by candidates, parties or party alliances, making sure that fair and equal conditions are in place.

The fact that certain candidates, parties or party alliances do not hold any campaign events or the lack of information about such events may not serve as grounds for the mass media to refrain from reporting on other participants’ campaigns.

4. The price per minute of paid air time on Public Radio and Public Television shall be announced no later than within ten days of setting the date for national elections. That price may not change during the pre-election campaign phase.

5. Candidates and parties (party alliances) running for the National Assembly shall have the right to make use, on equal conditions, of air time on other radio and television stations, regardless of their form of ownership. The provisions of Paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article shall equally apply to other radio and television stations, regardless of their form of ownership.

6. Pre-election campaign through the mass media shall be conducted in the form of public debates, round-tables, press conferences, interviews, political advertisement, and other forms not prohibited by law.

7. Interruption of campaign-related radio and television programs with advertisement of goods and services shall be prohibited.

8. Campaign-related radio and television programs shall be audio and video recorded, when they are being broadcast. All such recordings shall be kept for at least three months.

9. The television and radio companies’ compliance with pre-election campaign procedures shall be monitored by the National Television and Radio Commission, which shall have the right to apply to a court of law if it discovers any violations of campaign procedures. The Central Electoral Commission shall have the right to submit to the court its opinion on the violations.

10. Newspapers and magazines, regardless of who their founders are, except for newspapers and magazines founded by political parties, shall be required to ensure equal conditions when publishing pre-election campaign materials.