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Chapter VII. Election Campaigning
Article 37. Election Campaigning and Its Time Terms
Citizens of the Russian Federation, candidates, electoral associations electoral blocs shall be entitled to free election campaigning. The following entities shall be prohibited to perform election campaigning, disseminate any election propaganda materials:
 Bodies of state power, bodies of local government and their officials executing their official duties;
military units, military establishments and organizations;
charity organizations and religious associations;
members of election commissions with casting vote.
Election campaigning shall start on the registration date of candidates and end at 00:00 local time prior to the day preceding election day. On election day and the preceding day any election campaigning shall be prohibited. Campaign printed materials that were earlier displayed beyond the premises of election commissions may remain in place.
For 3 days before election day, including the voting day, any publications of public opinion polls, forecasts of election results and other research related to elections shall be prohibited.
Election campaigning may be conducted:
via the mass media;
by arranging public campaign events (election gatherings and meetings with voters, public debates and discussions, marches, rallies, demonstrations other election events);
by issuing and (or) disseminating printed audio and video and other campaign materials.
Election campaigning accompanied by free of charged or privilege provision of commodities, services (with the exception of information services), securities or paying money shall be prohibited.
Journalists, officials of editorial boards of mass media hall be prohibited to conduct information TV and radio programs, participate in coverage of elections through the mass media if the above persons are candidates or agents.
Article 38. Misuse of the Rights to Election Campaigning
While conducting election campaigning the freedom of mass media shall not be misused. Election programs, campaign materials, and speeches at meetings, gatherings, in the mass media shall not contain appeals to violent change of the foundation of constitutional system or disintegration of the Russian Federation. Propaganda of social, racial, national, religious or lingual superiority, issue and dissemination of messages and materials advocating social, racial, national or religious hatred shall be prohibited.
Candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs and the authorized representatives shall not be entitled to give voters money, presents and other tangible values other than for performing election related organization work (for duty hours at electoral district premises, collection of signatures, etc.), conduct discount sale of commodities, distribute any commodities free of charge with the exception of printed products, including illustrated materials and pins manufactured especially for the election campaign purposes. Candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs and their authorized representatives shall not be entitled while conducting election campaigning to influence the voters by promising them money, securities or other tangible values.
The election commissions of subjects of the Russian Federation, district election commissions shall exercise control over adherence to the established procedure of conducting election campaign. They, when being notified about unlawful speeches or dissemination of unlawful campaign materials, shall undertake measures to check such activities and shall be entitled to appeal to the relevant bodies requiring to check the unlawful campaign activities or to a court requesting to cancel the decision on candidate's registration. The aforesaid applications shall be considered by the court within 3 days and immediately, if submitted 3 days prior or on election day.
Article 39. Election Campaigning through the Mass Media
Candidates shall be entitled for air time on channels of regional state-owned TV and radio companies providing TV and radio broadcasting in the territory of the relevant electoral district on an equal basis (free of charge, equal amount of air time, same time of broadcasting, etc.).
A candidate shall be entitled, on the basis of a contract concluded with the regional state-owned TV and radio company to acquire, on a chargeable basis, air time in excess of the air time granted on a free of charge basis. Payment terms in respect to all candidates shall be equal.
The procedure for providing air time to candidates on channels of regional state-owned TV and radio companies shall be approved by the election commission of the subject of the Russian Federation with due regard to proposals of the candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs.
Officials of printed periodicals one of the founders (co-founders) of which is a state or municipal body state enterprise, establishment or organization or that are funded in full or partially at the expense of the relevant budget (federal budget, budget of the subject of the Russian Federation) shall be obliged to provide equal opportunities to publish campaign materials to all candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs.
The procedure of publishing campaign materials in periodicals, specified in Clause 4 of this Article shall be set by the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation.
Election campaigning through the mass media shall be conducted in a form of public election debates, round tables, press conferences, interviews, presentations, political commercials and in other forms allowed by law. An electoral association, electoral bloc, candidate shall be entitled to independently determine the form and the nature of their election campaigning.
TV and radio programs containing campaign materials shall not be interfered by commercials advertising commodities, work or services.
Announcements about election campaigning of candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs in information TV and radio programs shall constitute a separate block, as a rule, chiefly at the beginning of the aforesaid program without any comments. The above informational blocks shall not be paid by candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs.
TV and radio programs containing campaign materials shall be broadcast and simultaneously record the with video and audio tapes that shall be stored within 6 months from the broadcast day of the aforesaid programs.
Article 40. Election Campaign in Periodicals
Periodicals established by bodies of the legislative (representative), executive, judicial power and bodies of local government exceptionally to issue official messages and materials, stationary and other acts shall not be entitled to publish election campaign materials of candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs.
A periodical, one of the founders (co-founders) of which is a state enterprise, establishment and organization or that is funded in full or partially at the expense of the relevant budget (federal budget, budget of a subject of the Russian Federation) and that provided a candidate, electoral association, electoral bloc with space on the page shall not be entitled to refuse to provide other candidate, electoral association, electoral bloc with space on the same terms and shall be obliged to provide it in the nearest issues.
Article 41. Conditions for Holding Election Gatherings, Meetings with Voters
State bodies and bodies of local government shall be obliged to assist candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs in arranging and holding campaign gatherings, their and their agents' meetings with voters.
Applications for premises for such meetings shall be considered by the relevant state body and bodies of local government within 5 days from the submission date and shall be satisfied in the procedure set by the district election commission.
At the request of election commissions, premises adequate to public events, owned by state or municipal bodies shall be provided, on a free of charged basis for the time set by the district election commission, to candidates and their agents to meet voters. In this case election commissions shall be obliged to provide equal opportunities for all candidates. Buildings and facilities included in the State Register of Valuable Objects of Cultural Heritage of Peoples of the Russian Federation may not be provided for such purposes.
Article 42. Dissemination of Printed Campaign Materials
Electoral associations, electoral blocs, candidates for deputy shall be entitled to free issue of posters, leaflets and other printed campaign materials.
Printed campaign materials shall contain information about the organization or person responsible for their issue.
Dissemination of anonymous printed campaign materials shall be prohibited.
Printed campaign materials may be displayed in any premises, on any building, facility or other object upon consent of the owner or holder of the aforesaid objects.
Displaying printed campaign materials on monuments, obelisks, buildings, facilities of historic, cultural and architectural value as well as in premises of election commissions and polling stations shall be prohibited.
Local administration shall, not later than 20 days before election day, provide special places for displaying printed campaign materials. Such places should be convenient for visiting by voters and the number of them should be at least one within the boundaries of the territory of each electoral district for each candidate registered in the relevant single mandate electoral district. Area of equal size should be granted for displaying or hanging printed propaganda materials.
The relevant election commission notified about dissemination of anonymous or counterfeit printed campaign materials, shall undertake measures to check such activities and shall be entitled to appeal to the relevant bodies requesting to check the unlawful election campaigning.
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