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Article 15
 
Article 15
Pre-election Campaign
(1) The pre-election campaign (hereinafter referred to as "the campaign" only) shall start 15 days and end 48 hours before the start of the election. The campaign shall mean activities of the Candidates, political parties, political movements or other subjects in favour of the election of the Candidate including advertising through radio and TV broadcasting pursuant to clauses (4) and (5), mass media9), large-size carriers, posters and other carriers of information10).
(2) Any campaigning in other time than stated in clause (1) is banned.
(3) During the campaign time each Candidate shall have equal access to mass media.
(4) For the campaign pursuant to clause (1) Slovak Radio and Slovak Television shall allocate not more than one hour of their broadcasting time per each Candidate, 10 hours of broadcasting time at the most, in such a way that the determined time for broadcasting shall not put any of the Candidates in a less favourable position. The claim to the broadcasting time must be filed at least five days before the start of the campaign, or it shall lapse. Slovak Radio and Slovak Television shall provide for distinct identification and separation of this broadcasting from other programs.
(5) The holder of the license for radio or TV broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as "the license holder" only) can allocate not more than one hour of broadcasting time for the campaign of each Candidate, 10 hours of broadcasting time at the most. The license holders shall provide for distinct identification and separation of this broadcasting from other programs by broadcasting an announcement for the public that it is a paid political advertising.
(6) The payments for using telecommunication facility11) shall be reimbursed to Slovak Radio and Slovak Television according to the extent of the broadcasting time allocated pursuant to clause (4) from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.
(7) The costs for the campaign in the licensed radio and TV broadcasting shall be reimbursed by the Candidates or political parties and political movements that appointed them. The license holders shall be obliged to provide equal conditions to all Candidates for the purchase of the broadcasting time and equal price and payment conditions.
(8) During the campaign it shall be banned to broadcast campaigning in such times that are reserved for advertising in radio and TV programs, or use radio and TV advertising for campaigning.
(9) Broadcasting of the news and journalism programs shall not be considered campaigning provided they are broadcast in such a way and under such circumstances as on non-campaigning days and are in accordance with the valid program structure of the operators of the broadcasting.12) Broadcasting operators shall be obliged to provide balanced and non-partisan news programs.
(10) Broadcasting other programs except for the news and journalism programs pursuant to clause (9) and those that are devoted to the campaign pursuant to clauses (4) and (5) that could influence the voting of the voters in favour or disfavour of a candidate shall be banned during the campaign.
(11) Each Candidate who during the campaign is subjected to false or misrepresenting information and statements in radio and TV broadcasting and mass media shall have a right to respond during the campaign. He/she shall enforce this right with the operator of the broadcasting or editor-in-chief of the mass medium that broadcast or published such a piece of information or statement. The operator of broadcasting or editor-in-chief shall be obliged to provide the Candidates for the President an equally valuable broadcasting time as the time when the subjected information or statement were broadcast, within the campaigning days.
(12) 48 hours before the start of the election and during the election it shall be banned to broadcast or publish information in radio and TV broadcasting and mass media on Candidates in their favour or disfavour in oral, written, audio or visual form.
(13) During the election, in the buildings where Precinct Election Commissions are located and their immediate surroundings any influences for or against any of the Candidates shall be banned.
(14) Latest day to publish results of opinion polls shall be 3 days before the election day.
(15) Election commissions, members of their expert (summarizing) units and recorders shall not be allowed to provide information on the course and partial results of the poll before signing the minutes.
(16) It is banned to publish polls on results of the voting during the election.
(17) The Central Election Commission can publicize partial information on the voting too.
(18) If the second round of the election is held, the campaign shall start by announcing the results of the first round of the election by the Central Election Commission and end 48 hours before the start of the second round of the election. Provision of clauses (2) up to (17) shall apply adequately also to the campaign ahead of the second round of the election and the broadcasting time allocated by Slovak Television and Slovak Radio is two hours; Candidates shall set up a claim to it within 24 hours after the results of the first round of the election were announced. The license holder can allocate no more than two hours of broadcasting time for the campaign ahead of the second round of the election.