Conduct of Pre-Election Campaigning
1. The State shall ensure free conduct of pre-election campaigning by citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic, candidates, political parties, and election blocs, in accordance with this Code and laws of the Kyrgyz Republic.
2. Citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic, candidates, political parties, election blocs shall have the right to conduct campaigning, with legally admissible methods and forms, for participation in elections, freely and comprehensively discuss pre-election programs of candidates, their political, business, and personal qualities, carry out campaigning «for» or «against» any candidate at meetings, rallies, and in mass media. The election commissions together with the executive authorities and local self-government bodies shall facilitate the holding of such meetings - provide premises, inform in advance about time and place of the meetings and implement other necessary measures.
Pre-election campaigning shall be deemed to be the following actions executed during the election campaign, if not indicated otherwise by the present Code:
Calls to vote for these or other candidates;
Expression of preference in relation to any of the candidates, description of possible consequences in case if the candidate is elected or fails to get elected.
The conduct of jubilees and other festive events that are of public and state significance during conduct of election campaign shall be prohibited.
3. Candidates shall be guaranteed equal conditions for access to mass media.
4. Campaigning for elections may be carried out:
through mass media;
by means of holding mass events (gatherings and meetings with citizens, public debates and discussions, rallies, demonstrations, marches);
by publishing and distribution of propaganda printed materials;
in other forms established by the law.
5. A candidate, political parties, election blocs shall have the right to independently determine the form and nature of their mass media campaigning via mass media
6. Members of election commissions, judges, civil and public servants members of, religious and charitable organizations, employees of law-enforcement bodies and fiscal as well as military servicemen who are under execution of their business duties may not participate in election campaigning.
7. The following entities shall not be permitted to participate in election campaigning:
foreign states, organizations and citizens,
stateless persons,
international agencies and international nongovernmental movements.
Pre-election campaigning shall be prohibited in foreign mass media disseminated on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.
8. Journalists, other creative workers, as well as mass media officials shall be prohibited to run information TV and radio programs, participate in covering the elections campaign through their mass media, if the mentioned persons are candidates or their trusted persons. This rule shall not apply to campaigning actions of the mentioned persons when using free airtime on the channels of state owned and local TV/radio corporations in the order specified under Article 32 of this Code.
9. Mass media organs, the founders and co-founders of which are government agencies and local self-government bodies, their subordinate establishments and enterprises that are financed fully or partially from the republican or local budget as well as media companies that enjoy privileges on payment of taxes and obligatory charges shall be obliged to provide candidates, political parties, election blocs with equal possibilities for conduct of pre-election campaigning.
10. Mass media companies that do not come within the provisions of Clause 9 of this Article shall have the right to provide airtime, printing area on a contractual basis to candidates. Candidates shall make payment for airtime and printed matter on equal terms and exclusively through the corresponding election funds of the candidates. The tariffs for airtime, publication in periodical press shall be uniform for all the candidates.
11. In the course of the election, the information on the amount and other conditions of pay for air time, printed area should be published by the corresponding TV and radio broadcasting corporation, editors of periodical press organs not later than 5 days after the official publication of the decision on elections and, within the same timeframe, submitted to the election commission, which organizes the elections, with notification of their readiness to allocate air time, printing area for pre-election campaigning.
12. When publishing the results of public opinion polls related to the elections, mass media should specify the name of the organization that conducted the poll, as well as an organization or persons, who ordered conducting of the poll, the time of its conduct, the number of respondents (sample), the method of information collection, precise wording of the question, and statistical appraisal of possible error.
(In the edition of the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic issued on January 24th 2004 year, No. 7, October 25th 2004 year, No. 185)
Reference:
Provision on the order of conduct of pre-election campaign during Presidential elections (approved by CEC Decree issued on July 1st 2000 year, #343);
Provision on the order of conduct of pre-election campaign (approved by CEC Decree issued on July 9th 2004, # 19);
Explanation on the issues of informational coverage of elections in the Kyrgyz Republic (approved by CEC Decree issued on July 9th 2004 year, # 20)
