Before the actual election day, political competition conditions can be distorted due to candidacy restrictions and if the opposition is hindered while candidates and parties loyal to the government are strongly favoured by the state and the media. Typical problems that arise in several CoE member states are the misuse of incumbency, state positions and public resources for electoral purposes, as well as the unbalanced coverage of parties and candidates in the media. In a few cases, there are also undue restrictions on political rights and freedom of the media.