POSITION ON THE DRAFT CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections proposes the Central Election Commission to complement the draft Code of Conduct for Election Campaigns with provisions covering election contenders’ other behaviors than those directly related to campaign financing.

For that end, on December 21, 2018, the Election Commission received recommendations to extend the goals of the Code of Conduct it had prepared so that all election contenders should abide by all principles underpinning free and fair elections as follows:

Election campaigns and election contenders

  1. Election participants shall refrain from using the methods that are inappropriate in a civilized election contest, including the invention and spreading of news that demean human dignity, incite hatred and cause social divide by political, ethnic, linguistic, identity and other criteria.
  2. The election contest shall rest on the free and open competition of election programs/platforms and shall not use the tools that aim at manipulating and disinforming voters.
  3. Election contenders shall not involve the Church and the clergy in electoral campaigning.
  4. Election contenders shall not use the methods that involve the bribery, coercion and/or intimidation of voters.
  5. Election contenders shall enjoy impartial treatment from election management bodies, central and local public authorities, law enforcement agencies (police, prosecutor’s office, etc.) and courts of law.

The media

  1. Media outlets shall ensure transparency about their owners and financing sources.
  2. Media outlets shall cover election campaigns in a fair, equitable and balanced way, in line with legal requirements and the rules of professional ethics, and without interference from authorities, election management bodies or election contenders.
  3. Media outlets (with the exception of those belonging to political parties) shall not do electioneering.
  4. Media outlets shall treat all election contenders equally and without discrimination to inform voters properly about the contenders’ electoral programs/platforms.
  5. Media outlets shall not produce and shall not transmit fake news about candidates and election campaigns.
  6. Representatives of media outlets shall have free access to the events organized by election contenders and election management bodies.

Representation of women

  1. Election contenders shall ensure the observance of the right to be elected for men and women alike, including in single-member constituencies.
  2. Election contenders shall ensure the right to be elected for young people, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities, at least in accordance with the proportion of these voter categories.

CFFE’S POSITION on the CEC’s draft Code of Conduct for the 2018 election campaign