Home > 2.9 Electoral offences and sanctions > 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 69
 

1. During the election campaign is not permitted violation of the limitations provided for in parts 1 and 1.1 of Article 56 of the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees".


2. Political parties which nominated their federal lists of candidates, such candidates, proxies and authorized financial agents of political parties and authorized financial agents of regional branches of political parties as well as other persons and organizations involved in election campaigns shall not bribe voters: they shall not give voters money, gifts and other things otherwise than for the performance of organizational work, signature collection (collection of voter signatures and other campaigning activities); remunerate voters who perform the said organizational work depending on the results of the vote or promise such remuneration; sell goods at reduced prices; distribute free of charge any goods other than printed materials (including illustrated booklets) and badges specially produced for the election campaign; render services free of charge or at reduced rates. While conducting election campaigning candidates, political parties, electoral blocs, their authorized representatives and agents or other persons and organizations shall not influence voters by promises of money, securities, other things (in particular, depending on the voting results) and by rendering services otherwise than on the basis of decisions of state bodies and local government taken in accordance with the federal laws.


3. During the period of an election campaign, the voting and election results shall not be an object of lotteries, totalizators (bets) and other risk-based games in which the winning prize or participation in the prize draw is dependent on the voting results, election results or connected with the elections to the State Duma. 4. In the event commercials and other non-election advertisement should during the election campaign use the name or pictures of a candidate, title, emblem or other symbols of a political party, which nominated a federal list of candidates it should be paid for at the expense of the electoral fund of a political party or candidate. On the voting day and on the preceding day such advertisement, even if paid for at the expense of the electoral fund, shall not be allowed. On the same conditions can be placed ad (other information) on election-related deputies of the State Duma of a political party, its regional branch, the candidate provided guidance in the announcement (other information) of data from the electoral fund of a political party of its regional branch what the candidate paid for their accommodation.


5. Political parties which nominated their federal lists of candidates, candidates, proxies, authorized agents (including authorized financial agents) of political parties and their regional branches as well as organizations founded after the commencement of the election campaign, if the said persons or political parties are founders, owners or members of bodies thereof, shall not engage in charity activities during the election campaign. Other individuals and legal entities shall not engage in charity activities during the election campaign at the request, at the direction or on behalf of the said political parties, candidates, proxies and authorized agents; neither shall they campaign during the charity activities. The said political parties, candidates, proxies and authorized agents shall not make proposals to other individuals or legal entities to provide material, financial aid or services to voters.


6. Campaign materials shall not contain commercial advertising.


7. Political parties registered federal list of candidates, registered candidate may not use airtime on the channels of TV, provided to them for the placement of campaign materials for:


1) dissemination of appeals to vote against the federal list of candidates (federal lists of candidates), against the candidate (s);


2) a description of the possible negative consequences if one or another federal list of candidates will be admitted to the distribution of seats, one or the other candidate (or another candidate) will be elected


3) dissemination of information which is clearly dominated by information about any political party which nominated a federal list of candidates, candidates in single-mandate electoral district, of any candidate (no candidates) in combination with the negative comments;


4) dissemination of information, facilitating the creation of a negative attitude of voters to the political party which nominated a federal list of candidates, candidates in singlemandate electoral district, the candidate (s).


8. Mass media outlets shall not publish campaign and informing materials (including such materials which contain trustworthy information) which may damage the honour, dignity or business reputation of a candidate or a political party if these outlets cannot give a candidate, a political party a possibility to publish a denial or some other explanation in defence of their honour, dignity or business reputation before the end of the election campaigning period. When a possibility is offered to a candidate, a political party to publish (make public), free of charge, a denial or some other explanation in defence of their honour, dignity or business reputation air time shall be provided at the same time of the day at which the original information was made public. The amount of air time provided for making a denial or explanation shall not be less than the amount of air time provided for presentation of the original information and shall not be less than two minutes. In print media a denial shall be printed in the same type, in the same place on the page and shall be allocated space not less than the space taken up by the original compromising text. The failure to provide such possibility to a candidate, a political party may serve as a ground for bringing to responsibility the organizations indicated in this clause and their officials under the laws of the Russian Federation. Requirements provided for in this part shall not apply to cases of placement of campaign materials submitted by political parties, candidates registered within the framework of their use in accordance with the Federal Law of free and paid airtime, free and paid print space.


9. Election commissions shall ensure that the rules of election campaign are complied with and, in the case of breach, shall take countermeasures. Should false printed, audio-visual or other campaign materials be distributed, or should such distribution be in breach of Article 68 of this Federal Law, or should media outlets violate the order of election campaign, the respective election commission shall request law enforcement bodies, a court, a federal body for control over mass media to stop the unlawful campaign activities, seize the unlawful campaign materials and to institute proceedings against media outlets and their officials as well as other persons in line with the law of the Russian Federation.


10. Law enforcement and other bodies shall take measures to stop unlawful campaign activities, to seize and prevent the production of unlawful campaign materials, to identify the producers of such materials and sources from which they are paid for and to promptly inform respective election commissions of the facts revealed and measures taken.