Translated material
Do not go to the ballot boxes, do not scold candidates
The State Duma approved new rules for election campaigns
The State Duma yesterday adopted in the second reading a package of amendments to the electoral legislation and the Civil Procedure Code of Russia. Among the most notable innovations is the scandalous amendment of United Russia MP Alexander Moskalets to abolish the minimum 20 percent threshold for turnout in elections, as well as a bill prohibiting candidates from using their legally allowed airtime to criticize opponents.According to the document submitted by United Russia deputies. Rodina and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, “a registered candidate or electoral association does not have the right to use airtime to disseminate calls to vote against a candidate or candidates.” In addition, “descriptions of possible negative consequences if one or another candidate is elected” are not allowed. The bill also prohibits “the dissemination of information in which information about any candidate or electoral association in combination with negative comments clearly predominates.”
The Duma communists took this innovation with hostility. “We need to pass this bill so that it becomes clear to everyone what arrogance the gentlemen from the party in power have reached,” Viktor Tyulkin, a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction, told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. In his opinion, the bill allows for broad interpretation and can be aimed at combating the opposition. At the same time, the chairman of the specialized committee on constitutional legislation and state building, United Russia member Vladimir Pligin, hastened to calm the dissatisfied. Yesterday he explained to journalists that this ban on campaigning only applies to videos of candidates in the airtime provided to them. “There are no prohibitions of any kind against negative statements regarding opponents of the election campaign during discussions, during interviews, or while working with print media,” Mr. Pligin said. At the same time, the word “video” is absent from the text of the document, which gives the impression that the bill applies to all types of campaign materials.
As for the abolition of the minimum turnout threshold, the deputy explained this by “the general trend in the development of legislation in Russia and abroad.” According to him, according to the current rule, if there was no required voter turnout, the elections are considered invalid and taxpayers bear the costs of organizing new elections. “Rejection of such a turnout threshold will not play any negative role,” Mr. Pligin believes.
According to the amendments, candidates' campaign videos cannot contain commercial advertising.
The package also included a bill prohibiting the registration of candidates who have an unexpunged conviction for committing serious, especially serious crimes or acts of an extremist nature.
Candidates were also prohibited from speaking in extremist terms. According to the document, a candidate can be denied registration if it is established that he made extremist statements in public speeches during or before the start of the election campaign. And also substantiated or justified extremism, or committed actions aimed at inciting social, racial, national or religious hatred, humiliating national dignity, promoting exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens based on their attitude to religion, social, racial, national, religious or linguistic accessories. Propaganda or public display of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols may also result in denial of registration.
Deputies also supported the amendment of Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov to abolish early voting.