§ Electoral Code art. 89General principles regarding the coverage of elections by media outlets

General principles regarding the coverage of elections by media outlets
(1) The provisions of this Article shall apply to media outlets, with the exception of
those founded by political parties.
(2) Media outlets shall be required to respect the principles of fairness, balance and
impartiality when covering elections. They must offer initiative groups, electoral competitors
and referendum participants, airtime or space for electoral advertising on equal and nondiscriminatory terms.
(3) Media outlets shall not adopt privileged treatment of initiative groups, electoral
competitors and referendum participants by virtue of their social status and/or the functions
held by their candidates.
(4) During the electoral period, media outlets shall make a clear distinction in their
journalistic material between the exercise of official office and the electoral activity of persons
not covered by Article 16 (3).
(5) Electoral competitors/candidates or referendum participants who consider that their
right have been violated shall have the right of reply. The written request for a right of reply
shall be submitted to the media outlet within 2 calendar days of the dissemination/publication
of the information. The refusal to grant the right of reply, in the case of media service providers,
shall be challenged before the Audiovisual Council and in the case of print media outlets - at
the Central Electoral Commission. The right of reply shall be granted within 3 calendar days
of the submission of the application/appeal, on terms equal/similar to those under which
legitimate rights have been infringed.
(6) Electoral advertising in the Internet and by mobile telephony shall be treated as
electoral advertising in the print media.
(7) Media outlets shall have the right to cover the elections and to inform the public
about all electoral matters free of any interference or interference by public authorities,
electoral competitors/election candidates, initiative groups, referendum participants or other
entities. Journalists legitimised by media outlets and confirmed by the Central Electoral
Commission shall have access to meetings of electoral bodies, electoral operations and
electoral information, under the same conditions as observers.