Today, the media center sent initiatives to the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) in connection with the implementation of the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament and requested an immediate stop to the illegal advertising of political entities on local public broadcasters, the non-governmental organization NGO announced today. .
They added that following the pre-election process, they noticed that the website of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) published price lists for the advertising of political subjects by local public broadcasters (https://www.antikorupcija.me/me/kontrola-politickih-subjekata-izbornih-kampanja/2208091257-cjenovnici-oktobar-2022/ and (https://www.antikorupcija.me/media/documents/Radio_Bijelo_Polje_oktobar_2022.pdf), and that on some of them (Gradska TV and Radio Bijelo Polje) political entities participating in local elections are advertised in paid time slots.
"Also, it was published on the website of Gradska TV price list for political advertising in local elections", says the announcement of the Media Center signed by Goran Đurović, director.
The Media Center said that they are reminding the SEC and KAS that Article 51 of the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament, paragraph 2, prohibits public broadcasters from any additional, commercial, advertising of political entities in the pre-election campaign.
Article 51:
"Radio-television of Montenegro, regional and local public broadcasters are obliged to, during the election campaign, within the framework of the political-informational program, as well as in precisely defined blocks of political marketing, the audibility and visibility of which is ensured throughout the territory of Montenegro, i.e. local self-governments, every day, for the same duration and at the same time, provide free and equal representation of the applicants of confirmed electoral lists, as well as presentation and explanation of their election programs.
Radio-television of Montenegro, regional and local public broadcasters are not allowed, under any conditions, to present and explain the electoral program of the applicants of the electoral lists or their advertising outside of the period referred to in paragraph 1 of this article."
The Media Center invites the SEC and the KAS to, in accordance with their competences established in Article 32 paragraph 1 points 1 and 2 of the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament and Articles 5 and 55 of the Law on the Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns, examine whether there has been a violation of the law and warn political entities participating in local elections, as well as local public broadcasters, about the restrictions prescribed by law.
"Also, we call on ASK to remove the price lists of public broadcasters from its website. By agreeing to publish the price lists of local public broadcasters on its website, ASK has become complicit in the violation of the Law on the Election of Councilors and Members of Parliament.
SEC and KAS bear the greatest responsibility for non-compliance with election regulations, and their ignoring of our initiatives opens up space for initiating criminal charges against the responsible persons. We remind the leaders of the SEC and KAS that these institutions were complicit in breaking the law with the same omissions in the last parliamentary elections in 2020." In this case, the responsibility lies with Gradska TV and Radio Bijelo Polje, whose leaders can be dismissed from office for violating the law," concludes the Media Center announcement.
Bonus video:
