Home > 2.1.1 Electoral commissions > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum
 
 
 
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Article 54
 

1. Candidates, electoral associations, the referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups shall be free to produce and distribute printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials in manner as established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. All propaganda materials must be produced in the territory of the Russian Federation.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


11. Organizations, individual entrepreneurs executing works or providing services for production of printed propaganda materials shall be obliged to ensure equal payment terms for the production of such materials to registered candidates, electoral association registering lists of candidates, the referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups. Information about the rates charged (in the Russian Federation currency) and other terms of payment for the works or services of the aforesaid organizations or individual entrepreneurs in respect of production of printed propaganda materials shall be published by the relevant organization or relevant individual entrepreneur no later than 30 days after the day of the official publication of the decision to call the election, or of registration of referendum initiative group, and submitted, within the same period, to the election commission. Organizations or individual entrepreneurs failing to fulfill the said requirements shall not be entitled to execute works or provide services for printed propaganda materials production.


(section 11 introduced by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


2. All printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials must contain the name, legal address, and taxpayer identification number of the organization (the surname, first name and patronymic of the person and the name of the Russian Federation subject, district, city, other settlement where the person's place of residence is located) that produced the material, the name of the organization (the surname, first name and patronymic of the person) that placed an order for the material, information about the print run and the date of publication of such material, and a note on the production of the materials being paid for out of the respective election fund, referendum fund.


(section 2 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


3. Prior to their distribution, printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials or their copies, photos of other propaganda materials shall be submitted to a relevant election commission, referendum commission by the candidate, electoral association, referendum initiative group or another referendum participant group. Along with the aforementioned materials the relevant commission shall be furnished information concerning the location (place of residence) of the organization (person) that produced and ordered such materials.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


4. Null and void. - Federal Law of December 05, 2006, # 225-FZ.


5. Propaganda materials shall not be produced without prepayment made out of a relevant electoral fund, referendum fund or in violation of the requirements set forth in Sections 2 and 4 of this article.


6. Distribution of propaganda materials in violation of the requirements set forth in Section 3 of this article and Section 9, Article 48 of this Federal Law shall be prohibited.


7. By the recommendation of the relevant commission, bodies of local self-government shall designate special places for displaying printed propaganda materials on the territory of each electoral precinct, referendum precinct, no later than 30 days prior to the voting day. Such places shall be convenient for voters, referendum participants to visit and shall be arranged so that voters, referendum participants could examine the displayed information. The area of such designated places must be sufficient to display the information materials of commissions and propaganda materials of registered candidates, electoral associations, referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups. Registered candidates, electoral associations, the referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups shall be allocated equal areas for displaying their printed propaganda materials. A list of such places shall be communicated by commissions that proposed these places to candidates, electoral associations, referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


8. Printed propaganda materials may be displayed (posted, placed) inside premises, on buildings, structures, and other objects (with the exception of places specified in Section 7 of this article) only with the consent of and on conditions set by the owners, proprietors of such objects. Placement of propaganda materials on an object that is state or municipal property or property of an organization that holds a share (contribution) of more than 30 percent in its authorized (share) capital owned by the Russian Federation, Russian Federation subjects, and/or municipalities, on the day of official publication of the decision to call the election, register a referendum initiative group shall be governed by a set of conditions equally applicable to all candidates, electoral associations, referendum initiative group and other referendum participant groups. No fee shall be charged for placement of propaganda materials on an object that is state- or municipally owned property.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


9. Organizations providing advertising services shall ensure that candidates, electoral associations, the referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups are offered the same conditions for placement of propaganda materials.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


10. Propaganda materials shall not be placed (posted, displayed) on monuments, obelisks, buildings, structures and premises which have a historical, cultural or architectural value, inside the buildings and premises of commissions and at polling stations or at a distance less than 50 meters from the entrance thereto.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


11. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to propaganda materials distributed in compliance with Articles 51 and 52 of this Federal Law.


(Section 11 introduced by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)