Home > 2.6 Campaign finance > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Elections of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
 
 
 
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Article 66
 

1. Political parties are entitled to free print space in, respectively, nation-wide stateowned print periodicals, which published with a periodicity of less than once a week, on the following conditions: offered print space shall have the same amount, place in the column, the same font size and other equal conditions.


2. Political parties, registered candidates are entitled to have free print space in, respectively, regional-wide state-owned print periodicals, which published with a periodicity of less than once a week. Half of the total amount of print space provided to the editorship of the regional state print media, is given for election campaigning by political parties, the other half - for election campaigning candidates registered in single-mandate electoral district, formed on the territory of the relevant subject of the Russian Federation. Space shall be provided on the following conditions: an equal volume of print space shall be provided, an equivalent place on the strip, the same font size and other equal conditions for political parties, respectively, for the registered candidates.


3. The total minimum weekly amount of free print space which the editorial office of each state-owned print media outlet is to provide to political parties, registered candidates shall equal to or exceed 10 percent of the total amount of weekly print space of the print media outlet in the period provided for in part 2 of Article 63 of this Federal Law. The information about the total amount of free print space which the given print media outlet is to provide for campaign shall be published in the given print media outlet within 30 days after the official publication of notice of elections of deputies of the State Duma.


4. During the by-elections to the State Duma with a total weekly minimum amount of space that each edition of the regional state print media offered free of charge to registered candidates, must be at least 5 percent of the total area of the corresponding weekly printed publication within the period established by Part 2 of Article 63 of this Federal law.


5. The amount of free print space in a state-owned print media outlet to be provided by its editorial office shall be distributed among political parties, in shares calculated by dividing this amount by the number of political parties, registered candidates.


6. After the end of the registration of federal lists of candidates but not later than 30 days before the voting day, The CEC, election commissions of a Russian Federation subject with the participation of state print media representatives revisions shall draw lots to allocate space in print media provided free of charge, among all political parties, all candidates registered in single-mandate electoral districts, formed on the territory of the relevant subject of the Russian Federation, and to determine the date of publication of election materials. The draw for the distribution of print space provided free of charge in the regional state print media distributed in the territory of the municipal district (city district), can be carried out on behalf of the Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation by the corresponding TEC. If on the territory of the municipal district (city district) is formed by several TEC, TEC, which carries out the drawing of lots, determined by the decision of the election commission of a Russian Federation subject. The lot drawing may be attended by the persons mentioned in part 1 of Article 32 of this Federal law. The results of the lot-drawing shall be included in the protocol and approved by the decision of the election commission.


7. The editorial offices of state-owned print media published with periodicity of no less than once a week shall reserve space for paid publications of campaign materials by political parties, registered candidates. The total amount of paid space to be reserved by the editorial office of a print media outlet shall not be less than the total space to be provided for free, but it should not exceed more than twice. The total amount paid print space, reserved each revision of the regional state print media shall not be less than the total amount of space provided free of charge, but should not exceed it by more than four times.


8. Each political party is entitled for a fee to obtain an area in the national state periodical print space in the amount not less than the share obtained by dividing the total amount of reserved space in print media by the total number of political parties. Each political party is entitled for a fee to obtain a printed area of the regional state print media in the amount not less than the share obtained by dividing the half of the total printed area reserved by the total number of political parties. Each registered candidate shall be entitled for a fee to obtain a printed area of the regional state print media in the amount not less than the share obtained by dividing the remaining half of the total amount of reserved space in print media by the total number of candidates registered in single-mandate electoral districts formed in the corresponding subject of the Russian Federation.


9. Print space shall be provided by editorial offices of state-owned print media outlets during the period specified in part 2 of Article 63 of this Federal Law. The dates for publication of campaign materials shall be fixed by means of draw which the editorial office of a state-owned print media outlet with attendance of interested persons mentioned in applications for draw submitted by authorized agents of political parties, registered candidates. The draw shall be organized within the time set forth in part 6 of this Federal law. The draw may be attended by, respectively, members of the CEC, election commission of a Russian Federation subject as well as persons indicated in part 1 of Article 32 of this Federal Law. The results of the draw shall be recorded in a protocol.


10. The editorial offices of municipal print media, editorial offices of state print media published with periodicity of less than once a week, if complying with the provisions of part 14 of Article 64 of this Federal Law shall provide paid space to political parties, registered candidates. The total amount of paid space to be provided shall be determined by the editorial offices at their discretion. The dates of publication of campaign materials shall be determined by draw, with which shall be organized by the said editorial offices of the print media with the attendance of interested persons on the basis of written applications for draw, submitted by authorized agents of political parties, registered candidates. The draw shall be conducted within the time set forth by part 6 of this Article.


11. Should after the draw a political party, registered candidate refuse to use the offered print space for campaign they shall within five days prior to the date of publication of campaign materials file a written notice thereof to a respective editorial office of a print media outlet which shall be entitled to use the time thus released at its own discretion.


12. In the event undistributed print space should remain as a result of distribution of paid print space in accordance with part 9 or 10 of this Article or as a result of refusal of a political party, registered candidate to use its print space in accordance with part 11 of this Article, this print space may be offered for a charge to political parties which applied for such print space. The remaining print space shall be distributed among the said political parties on equal terms by means of draw.


13. Editorial offices of non-state-owned print media, provided the conditions set forth in part 14 of Article 64 of this Federal Law have been fulfilled, shall be obliged to offer print space for campaigning to political parties, registered candidates on equal terms. The said editorial offices of non-state-owned print media outlets shall be entitled to refuse a political party of print space for campaigning. In the event non-state-owned broadcasting organizations should fail to fulfil the requirements set forth in part 14 of Article 64 of this Federal Law, they shall not be entitled to offer political parties air time for campaigning.


14. Not later than two days before the publication of campaign materials an authorized financial agent of a political party, of a regional branch of a political party shall submit a payment order to a branch of public joint-stock company "Sberbank of Russia" (other credit institution) to wire the full amount of payment for the print space. An authorized financial agent of a political party, of a regional branch of a political party shall present a copy of the payment order endorsed by the branch of public joint-stock company "Sberbank of Russia" (other credit institution) to the editorial office of a print media outlet before the publication. If this condition is not complied with, print space shall not be provided.


15. The branch of public joint-stock company "Sberbank of Russia" (other credit institution) shall wire the money not later than the next banking day after receipt of the payment order. The time for processing a non-cash payment shall not exceed 3 working days.


16. Campaign materials published in accordance with this Article shall not be accompanied with any form of editorial comments or headlines or illustrations, if they are not pre-approved by a respective political party, registered candidate.


17. The editorial offices of print media which publish campaign materials shall not give preference to any political party which registered a federal list of candidates by changing the circulation and periodicity of publication of the print media. This requirement shall not apply to the editorial offices of the print media founded by political parties, candidates.


18. All campaign materials published by print media shall indicate a political party or candidate thereof from whose electoral fund the given publication was paid for. If campaign materials were published free of charge in accordance with part 1 or 2 of this Article, the publication shall indicate this fact and the name of a political party, regional group of candidates which were provided with this opportunity.