PRESS
Press Digest

INTERNEWS
Internews Digest

LAWS
Electoral Code
Other Laws

L A W S

RESOLUTION

“Elections of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The order of carrying out the electoral campaign of the majority system deputy candidates and proportional system political parties and coalitions.”

Guided by articles 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 81, 113, 139 and point 4.5 of article 112 of the electoral code of the Republic of Armenia, the Central Electoral Committee decided:

1. The electoral campaign of the majority system deputy candidates and proportional system political parties and coalitions, for the National Assembly of the Republic, starts at 00:00, on April 26, 1999, and will continue until May 28 at 24:00. On May 29, 5-minutes of airtime which will also be granted to each candidate on National Television.
2. The Central Electoral Committee, in the framework of a state order on elections, provides proportional system political parties and coalitions with equal opportunities to use the state mass media.
3. The heads of print media, the founders of which include state or local governmental bodies, as well as those being financed by state sources or the sources of local governmental bodies, are obligated to provide the candidates and the parties with equal opportunities while publishing propaganda materials.
4. The print media, mentioned in point 3, will publish free of charge the preelection materials of proportional system political parties and coalitions (articles, interviews, etc.) in a 1-page volume. The materials to be published should be given to the editorial authorities 3 days prior to their publication. The cover page of the issue should include the tease of the given article.
5. Proportional system political parties and coalitions have the right to use free of charge no more than 60 minutes of airtime of the National Television and no more than 120 minutes of paid time. On May 28, up to 10 minutes, and on May 29, up to 5 minutes from the free and paid airtime will be provided for the election campaign purposes.
6. In order to make use of the free airtime, proportional system coalitions, within 2 days after the registration, should introduce the schedule of their appearances, including the dates of the speeches and their duration, to the Central Electoral Committee.
7. In case there are time coincidences of speeches in various schedules, the Central Electoral Committee, in the presence of authorized representatives of political parties, should lead them to mutual agreement. In case of disagreement, lots will be drawn.
8. According to the introduced schedules, the Central Electoral Committee will design a general schedule of appearances that will be given to the State Television of the Republic of Armenia for implementation.
9. During the preelection propaganda appearances of the political parties on television, the left corner of the TV screen shall indicate the time used for the speech. The next appearance of a member of the same political party will start from the continuation of the latest appearance time.
10. Proportional system political parties and coalitions pay for the National Television airtime by the minute, according to the agreement signed by the National Television of Armenia and the Central Electoral Committee (the equivalent of 5 US dollars in drams, for the time period from 19.00 up to 20.55).
11. If the allotted airtime is not used, additional airtime is not provided.
12. Other state TV companies should be guided by the provisions of this resolution.
13. For the purposes of carrying out the election campaign through the state regional radio and television network, the regional electoral committees, within 5 days after the registration of the political parties, based on their applications, sign agreements with radio and television companies.
14. Radio airtime is allotted according to the order, stated in points 1-14.
15. Proportional system political parties and coalitions have the right to use free of charge no more than 120 minutes of State Radio airtime and no more than 180 minutes of paid airtime.
16. Proportional system political parties and coalitions pay for the National Radio airtime by the minute, according to the agreement signed by the National Radio of Armenia and the Central Electoral Committee (the equivalent of 3 US dollars in drams for 1 minute).
17. The deputy candidates of the National Assembly are forbidden to run their own programs or any other programs on state radio or television, as well as on any other radio or television station where the state is a shareholder.
18. In order to regulate the appearances of political parties at National Television and National Radio of Armenia, the parties nominate their own authorized representatives.

President of Central Electoral Committee

Kh. Bezirjyan

20.04.1999