Procedure for Using Electronic (Audiovisual) Mass Media

1. No later than on the third day following the commencement of the election process of the respective election, television and radio broadcasting organizations who intend to provide placement of campaign materials shall publish in the printed mass media their rates per one minute (second) of airtime. Television and radio broadcasting organizations broadcasting on the nationwide channels shall publish such rates in the newspapers Holos Ukrainy and Uriadovyy Courier, while regional and local television and radio broadcasting organizations shall publish their rates in the respective regional and local printed mass media.

In case of failure to publish the prices of the cost of airtime within the specified period, the placement of campaign materials on the air of the relevant television and radio organization is prohibited.

2. Within 20 minutes before and after a television/radio broadcast of a candidate / party’s (or party organization’s) election campaign television/radio program, it shall be prohibited to comment on or evaluate in any form, on the same broadcasting channel, the content of the election campaign program or the actions of the respective candidate or party (party organization).

3. Airtime for election campaigning shall be provided at the expense of the electoral fund of a candidate or party (party organization) based on a contract which shall be concluded between an administrator of a candidate/ party’s (party organization’s) electoral fund bank account and a television and radio broadcasting organization. It shall be prohibited for a television and radio broadcasting organization to provide airtime without having concluded such a contract and without receipt of funds in the bank account of a television and radio broadcasting organization.

4. Television and radio broadcasting entities shall make audio and video recordings of all programs containing election campaigning and shall store such recordings for thirty days following the day of official announcement (official promulgation) of the election results.

5. Upon receipt of inquiries in writing from the Central Election Commission, territorial election commission or the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine, television and radio broadcasting organizations shall submit all information on the allocation of airtime for election campaigning and, if required, provide copies of the respective contracts, payment documents and audio or video records of programs recorded on respective information carriers.

6. During the election process, only candidates or parties (party organizations) shall be entitled to be customers of political advertising which will be aired by television and radio broadcasting organizations. During the broadcast of a political advertisement, aired at the expense of resources of the electoral fund of a party (party organization), the broadcaster shall indicate the last name, first name and patronymic name, or the full name of the customer, in the form of a text message covering no less than fifteen percent of the screen area that shall be made in a color contrasting the background and shall be easily perceptible to the viewer.

7. Election campaign materials places in electronic (audiovisual) media should be subtitled and/or translated into Ukrainian sign language in order to ensure their accessibility for people with visual disabilities and auditory disabilities, taking into account the requirements established by the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council.