Home > 2.6 Campaign finance > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens to Participate in a Referendum
 
 
 
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Article 48
 
Article 48. Election Campaigning, Referendum Campaigning
1. Citizens of the Russian Federation, public associations shall be entitled to conduct election campaigning, referendum campaigning in the forms permitted by law and by legal methods.
2. The following shall be regarded as election campaigning in the period of an election campaign:
?) calls for voting for or against a candidate (list of candidates);
b) expression of preference for any of the candidates, an electoral association, electoral bloc, in particular, statements indicating the candidate, list of candidates, electoral association, electoral bloc for which a voter will vote;
c) description of possible consequences of the election or non-election of a candidate (list of candidates);
d) dissemination of materials with a marked predominance of information about some candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs in combination with positive or negative comments;
e) dissemination of information about the activities of a candidate unrelated to his professional activity or performance of his official duties;
f) activity promoting formation of a positive or negative attitude of voters towards a candidate, an electoral association, an electoral bloc of which the candidate is a member, toward an electoral association, an electoral bloc which nominated the candidate, candidates, list of candidates;
g) other actions which aim at encouraging or are encouraging voters to vote for or against a candidate, list of candidates or against all candidates, all lists of candidates.
3. Election campaigning, referendum campaigning may be conducted:
a) on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in the print media;
b) by means of public events (meetings with citizens, rallies, marches, demonstrations, public debates and discussions);
c) by producing and distributing printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials;
d) by other methods which are not prohibited by law.
4. A candidate, an electoral association, an electoral bloc, a referendum initiative group may select the contents, form and methods of their election campaigning at their own discretion, conduct election campaigning and involve other persons therein in the procedure established by law.
5. Election campaigning, referendum campaigning expenditures shall be paid exclusively from relevant electoral funds, referendum funds in accordance with the procedure established by law. Campaigning in favor of a candidate, an electoral association, electoral bloc, that is paid for from electoral funds of other candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs, shall be prohibited.
6. Persons who have not attain to the age of 18 years as of voting day shall not be involved directly or indirectly in election campaigning, referendum campaigning.
7. Election campaigning, referendum campaigning shall not be conducted and any kind of propaganda materials shall not be produced and distributed by:
a) federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of Russian Federation subjects, other state bodies, bodies of local self-government;
b) persons who are in state and municipal service, including military personnel, persons occupying state offices of category A or elective municipal offices when they are discharging their official duties and/or by taking advantage of their office and official position;
c) military units, military institutions and organizations;
d) charity and religious organizations and organizations founded by them as well as representatives of religious associations when they are performing rites and ceremonies;
e) commissions, voting members of commissions;
f) foreign nationals, with the exception of the case referred to in Clause 10, Article 4 of this Federal Law, stateless persons, foreign legal entities;
g) members of the press when they are engaged in their professional activities.
8. Persons who occupy state offices of category A or elective municipal offices shall not conduct election campaigning on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in the print media, save the case where these persons have been registered as candidates.
9. Pictures of a natural person, positive statements of a natural person about a candidate, an electoral association, electoral bloc may be used in propaganda materials of candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs only with a written consent of the natural person. A document confirming such consent shall be submitted to the commission together with copies of propaganda materials to be submitted in accordance with Clause 3, Article 54 of this Federal Law and, if the propaganda material is to be broadcast by a TV and radio broadcasting organization or published in a print media outlet, at the request of an election commission. This restriction shall not apply to opinions quoted by candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs in their election campaigning if these opinions have been expressed in public and published (made public), provided the date (period of time) of the publication and name of the mass media outlet where this opinion was published are indicated. References in propaganda materials to a positive statement of a natural person, who is not allowed to conduct election campaigning under this Federal Law, about a candidate, an electoral association, electoral bloc, a public association comprised in an electoral bloc shall be allowed only if this statement was published (made public) before the official publication of the decision to call the election, and must indicate the date (period of time) when this statement was published (made public) and the name of the mass media outlet where it was made public.
10. A political party, if such party, including a political party comprised in an electoral bloc, or an electoral bloc nominated a candidate (a list of candidates) and then a relevant election commission registered this candidate (list of candidates) not later than ten days before voting day, shall publish its election program in accordance with a relevant level of elections at least in one state print media outlet and in the Internet. A political party comprised in an electoral bloc shall be entitled not to publish its election program, if the electoral bloc publishes its election program within the period indicated above. Such publication shall be carried out with the use of either free space provided by the print media outlet under this Federal Law or space paid for from the electoral fund of the candidate, the electoral association, electoral bloc.