L. Election campaign provisions

Additional language in Article 47(9) of the draft law introduces the following text: “Election commissions shall organise the meetings of all candidates simultaneously”. There are two concerns with this new text. First, it requires election commissions to be involved in the “organisation” of the meetings of candidates with voters. This goes beyond making sure that public facilities are available for candidates to meet with voters on a non-discriminatory basis. The election administration should not be involved in organising the substantive political content of a candidate meeting with voters. Secondly, the new language is subject to different interpretations in the English translation. The text can be interpreted to mean that the candidate meetings are to occur “simultaneously”. The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission recommend that Article 47(9) be clarified and the article be clear as to the involvement of the election administration in “organising” candidate meetings with voters.