Dissemination of political advertising through the mass media

1. It shall be prohibited to disseminate political advertising under the following conditions:

1) if the dissemination is contrary to the Constitution or other laws;

2) free of charge, except specialised or discussion programmes;

3) on the first page of a periodical.

2. Producers and disseminators of public information may refuse to disseminate political advertising that contains information compromising other political organisations or campaigners and/or candidates nominated by them in the case of the refusal to bear potential costs expenses related to dissemination of a counter opinion.

3. The following shall not be regarded as political advertising:

1) routine information notice about the activities of state politicians, political organisations and candidates disseminated during an electoral political campaign free of charge and without any intention of any payment in future, except where such notices are used for election campaigning;

2) information on election programmes which is disseminated free of charge through the mass media by producers and disseminators of public information during the electoral political campaign, in line with the principles of objectivity and equality of the campaigners;

3) regular information notices about the activities of state politicians, political organisations and their management bodies which are disseminated during the period other than the electoral political campaign, with the exception of cases where such notices are used to campaign for voting in the interest of a state politician, political organisation or its candidate during a future electoral political campaign, or a payment is made or expected to be made for such notices.

4. A declaration of a producer or disseminator of public information shall be a document to be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission, by which the producer or disseminator of public information declares the political advertising that has been disseminated, indicating its price, rates, publishing time/space and the person in whose interest the political advertising has been disseminated as well as the person who has commissioned the production or dissemination of the political advertising and the person who has paid for the dissemination of the political advertising.

5. During an electoral political campaign, producers or disseminators of public information must fill in an online declaration of the producer or disseminator of public information no later than within ten working days of the dissemination of political advertising. During the electoral political campaign, the declaration of the producer or disseminator of public information shall be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission no later than within ten working days after the proclamation of the final results of an election/rerun election. During the period other than the electoral political campaign, the declaration of the producer or disseminator of public information shall be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission no later than within one month after the end of the calendar year.