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Article 56
 

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


1. The election programs of candidates, election associations, other propaganda materials (including those published in information telecommunication networks with unrestricted access save as for a certain circle of persons, including the Internet), speeches of candidates and their agents, representatives and agents of electoral associations, representatives of referendum initiative group and other referendum participation groups, of citizens in public events, in mass media (including those published in information telecommunication networks with unrestricted access save as for a certain circle of persons, including the Internet), must not contain calls to do acts and things as stipulated in article 1 of Federal Law # 114-FZ on Counteraction of Extremist Activity of July 25, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as the Federal Law on Counteraction of Extremist Activity) as extremist activity, or otherwise compel for such acts, as well as to substantiate or justify extremism. The propaganda inciting social, racial, ethnic or religious discord, degrading national dignity, promoting exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens according to their attitude to religion, social, racial, national, religious, or linguistic appurtenance, as well as campaigning containing propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi attributes or symbols, or attributes or symbols similar to Nazi attributes or symbols to the degree of confusion, shall be prohibited. Campaigning oriented to protection of social equity ideas may not be regarded as incitation of social discord.


(in the version of Federal Laws of December 05, 2006, # 225-FZ, of July 11, 2011, # 200-FZ)


11. In electoral campaigning and referendum campaigning, the misuse of freedom of mass information in forms other than stipulated in Section 1 of this Article shall also be prohibited. Campaigning in violation of the intellectual property legislation of the Russian Federation shall also be prohibited.


(section 11 introduced by the Federal Law of December 05, 2006, # 225-FZ)


2. Candidates, electoral associations, their agents and authorized representatives, referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups and their authorized representatives as well as other persons and organizations involved in election campaigning, referendum campaigning shall not bribe voters, referendum participants: they shall not give them money, gifts and other things of value otherwise than for the performance of organizational work (collection of signatures of voters, referendum participants, campaigning activities); remunerate voters, who perform the said organizational work, depending on the vote returns 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, referendum campaign; render services free of charge or at reduced rates, or influence voters by promises of money, securities, other things of value (in particular, depending on the vote results) or by rendering services other than on the basis of decisions of bodies of state power or local self-government taken in accordance with the law.


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


3. In the period of an election campaign, referendum campaign, the election, the holding of lotteries and other games of chance where the prize-winning or participation at prize draws depends on voting results, election or referendum results, or of those otherwise related to the elections or referendum shall be prohibited.


(Section 3 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


4. In the course of an election campaign, a referendum campaign, any commercial advertising or advertising of any activity of candidates, electoral associations, their agents and authorized representatives, of the referendum initiative group or other referendum participant groups that is not related to the election, referendum, or any advertising involving the use of names, logotypes, other symbols of the electoral associations nominating a candidate or list of candidates within the elections campaign, referendum campaign, shall be paid for only out of the relevant electoral fund, referendum fund. Publication of such advertisements, including those paid out of the funds of the respective elections fund or referendum fund shall not be allowed on voting day and on the day before.


(Section 4 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


5. Candidates, electoral associations that nominated candidates, their authorized representatives and agents, that carried out relevant nominations or registrations, members or authorized representatives of a referendum initiative group or other referendum participant groups, as well as organizations registered after the commencement of an election campaign, which have been founded, are owned or held by such individuals and organizations and/or in which such individuals or organizations are members of their governing bodies shall not engage in any charity activities in the course of the election campaign, the referendum campaign. In the course of an election campaign, a referendum campaign, other individuals and legal entities shall not engage in any charity activities at the request, on the instructions or on behalf of candidates, electoral associations, their agents or authorized representatives, members or authorized representatives of a referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups, and shall not conduct election campaigning, referendum campaigning simultaneously with the pursuance of charity activities. Such candidates, electoral associations, their agents or authorized representatives, members or authorized representatives of a referendum initiative group, other referendum participant groups shall be prohibited from asking other individuals or legal entities to render material or financial assistance or services to voters, referendum participants.


(Section 5 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


51. Propaganda materials may not contain commercial advertisements.


(Section 51 introduced by the Federal Law of December 05, 2006, # 225-FZ)


52. A registered candidate or an electoral association shall not be entitled to use air time on channels of TV broadcasting organizations that was provided to them for purposes of airing campaigning materials, for purposes of:


a) calling to vote against any candidate, candidates, list of candidates, lists of candidates;


b) describing possible negative consequences in the case if some or other candidate would be elected or some or other list of candidates would be admitted for allocation of deputy seats;


c) distributing information with clearly predominant information about any candidate/candidates or electoral association in association with negative comments;


d) distributing information conductive to the generation of negative attitude of the voters to a candidate, electoral association nominating a candidate, a list of candidates;


(Section 52 introduced by the Federal Law of December 05, 2006, # 225-FZ)


6. Mass media organizations shall not disclose (publish) propaganda and informational materials (including such materials that contain true information) which may damage the honor, dignity or business reputation of a candidate, if these organizations cannot provide a possibility to the candidate to disclose (publish) a denial or some other explanation in defense of his honor, dignity or business reputation before the end of the campaigning period. When a possibility is provided to the candidate to publish (disclose) free of charge a denial or some other explanation in defense of his honor, dignity or business reputation, the air time shall be provided at the same time of the day at which the original information was made public, and the amount of this air time shall not be less than the amount of air time provided for presentation of the original information and, in any case, not less than two minutes, and if space in printed media is provided, such 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 before the end of the campaigning period shall constitute grounds for bringing such mass media organizations and their officials to responsibility under the legislation of the Russian Federation. The rules established by this section shall not apply to the cases of placement of propaganda materials provided by registered candidates, electoral associations in the framework of their use, as per this Federal Law or any other law, of free and paid air time, of free and paid print space.


(Section 6 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


7. Commissions shall oversee compliance with the established procedure for conducting election campaigning, referendum campaigning, and shall take action to liquidate the violations committed.


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


8. In case of distribution of false printed, audio-visual or other propaganda materials, or distribution of printed, audio-visual or other propaganda materials in violation of sections 2-6, 8 and 10 of Article 54 of this Federal Law, as well as in case of violation by an TV and radio broadcasting organization or editorial board of a periodical printed media of the procedure, as stipulated by this Federal Law, for the election campaigning, referendum campaigning procedure, the respective commission shall be obliged to apply to law enforcement authorities, courts, bodies of executive power which implement the state policy vis-à-vis the mass media for stopping the unlawful propaganda activities and bringing the TV and radio broadcasting organization, editorial board of the printed media publication, their officials to responsibility under the legislation of the Russian Federation.


(Section 8 in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ)


9. Law enforcement and other authorities shall take measures to stop unlawful propaganda activities, prevent production of and seize false and unlawful printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials, identify the producers of such materials and the source from which they are paid for and promptly inform a relevant election commission, referendum commission about the facts established and measures taken.