In the Russian Federation, Article 46 of the Law on State Duma Elections imposes several restrictions to avoid the use of public means in favour of any political party that contends for elections. In practice, the OSCE/ODIHR notes in its report following the presidential election of 4 March 2012 that “[t]here was an evident mobilization of individuals and administrative resources in support of Mr Putin’s campaign, which was observed by the OSCE/ODIHR EOM [Election Observation Mission]. In several regions, participants in campaign events reported that they had been ordered to take part by their superiors. Various levels of public institutions instructed their subordinate structures to organize and facilitate Mr Putin’s campaign events. Local authorities also used official communication, such as their institutional websites or newspapers, to facilitate Mr Putin’s campaign.” The PACE Report following the same elections recommends “strict rules […] with regard to the use of administrative resources in campaign periods.”