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Article 45
 

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, political parties, other public associations, labour groups and authorized persons of candidates for the post of the President of the Republic of Belarus and for deputies and the initiative groups making agitation for elections of candidates for the post of the President of the Republic of Belarus or for deputy shall have the right for free and all-round discussion of election programs of candidates for the post of the President of the Republic of Belarus and for deputies, of their political, business and personal qualities and the holding of agitation for or against a candidate at meetings, rallies, in mass media as well as during meetings with electors.


Voters, initiative groups and authorized persons of a deputy shall have the right to freely and comprehensively discuss issues connected with the recall of the deputy and his (her) business and personal qualities and conduct agitation for or against the recall of the deputy at meetings, rallies, in mass media and at meetings with electors.


At a sitting of deputies of the local Councils of Deputies of the basic level of the region and deputies of the Minsk City Council of Deputies on elections of members of the Council of the Republic or on recall of a member of the Council of the Republic each deputy taking part in the work of the sitting shall have the right for free and all-round discussion of business and personal qualities of the candidates for members of the Council of the Republic or a member of the Council of the Republic in relation of whom the issue on recall has been initiated and make agitation for or against the nominated candidates for members of the Council of the Republic and for or against the recall of a member of the Council of the Republic.


Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, political parties and other public associations and labour groups have the right for free agitation in favor of the proposal for the holding of a referendum, in favor of adoption of the decision proposed for the referendum as well as against the proposal on the holding a referendum or against the decision proposed for the referendum.


Foreign citizens and stateless persons are not entitled to take part in agitation.


Candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus and for deputies hold meetings with their voters at assemblies or in another form convenient for the voters.By mutual arrangement the candidates may hold joint meetings with voters.


Local executive and administrative bodies together with the respective electoral commissions determine premises for the holding of meetings with candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus, for deputies with voters, as well as for pre-election meetings being organized by voters.Applications for premises are submitted by candidates, their authorized persons, voters to the respective territorial, circuit electoral commissions not later than two days prior to the proposed date of the event. The application shall indicate location (locations) of its holding, date, time of the beginning and end of the event; surname, name of the applicant, information about his place of residence and telephone number, date of submission of the application. If it is impossible to provide the premises for the date and time specified in the application, the respective electoral commission shall inform the applicant not later than on the following day after the receipt of the application and suggest another date and time of the meeting, assembly. Facilities for holding meetings with voters, pre-election assemblies are provided free of charge in the order of the receipt of applications.Territorial, circuit electoral commissions shall inform voters via mass media or by other means about the meetings with candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus, the deputies, as well as on pre-election assemblies organized by the voters.


Candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus, for deputies are entitled at the cost of the resources of own electoral fund to rent buildings and premises for the holding meetings with electors.Buildings and premises for the mentioned purposes are provided to the candidates on equal terms.


Candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus, of deputies, their authorized persons may hold, in the order determined by Article 451 of this Code, mass actions (outdoor assemblies, meetings, picketing) with a purpose of carrying out pre-election agitation.


Mass actions the purpose of which is carrying out of pre-election agitation, agitation on referendum, recall of a deputy, with the exception of mass actions specified in part nine of this Article are held in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus on mass actions.


Candidates for the President of the Republic of Belarus, for deputies have the right to make the agitation printed materials (posters, leaflets and other materials) at the expense of their own electoral funds. Production of agitation printed materials is made after pre-payment from the candidate's electoral fund.


Agitation printed materials shall be produced in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.Agitation printed materials shall contain the following data:name and address of the organization (individual entrepreneur), which produced agitation printed materials, number of certificate of state registration of the manufacturer and the date of its issue, number of copies and number of the order, name and initials of the client.One sample of agitation printed materials or copies of them shall be submitted by a candidate for the President of the Republic of Belarus, for deputies to the Central Commission, territorial, circuit electoral commission respectively. Distribution of anonymous agitation printed materials is prohibited.


When holding the elections, voting on the recall of a deputy, local executive and administrative bodies, under agreement with the relevant commissions, allocate in the territory of precincts the places most frequently attended by citizens to place agitation printed materials.The placement of agitation printed materials in other places may be authorized by the head of the respective organization. If the head of the organization allows the placement of the agitation printed materials of one candidate in the organization, he is not entitled to deny the other candidate in placement of the agitation printed materials on the same terms.Executive and administrative bodies may prohibit the placement of agitation printed materials in locations not allocated for it.


Removal, gluing up, blurring, spoiling of agitation printed materials is not allowed if they have been produced and placed with observance of the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus.


At all polling stations no later than 14 days prior to the elections, the stands with information materials about the candidates shall be arranged.The stands with such information materials are kept in the voting premises on the day of elections.When holding the referendum in the premises for voting in a plain view, the issues (draft decisions) put forward for the referendum shall be posted up.


Agitation on the elections day is not allowed.Agitation printed materials displayed earlier outside the voting premises shall remain in their former places.