TrustVoting Atlas

Information support to election campaigning

1. In the course of election campaigning, when broadcasting social-political programs and elections, a broadcaster shall observe the principle of
impartiality and fairness according to the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting, the Code of Conduct of Broadcasters, and this Law.

2. A general broadcaster intending to cover election campaigning shall broadcast pre-election debates in a non-discriminatory manner and with the
participation of all qualified electoral subjects in the course of the election campaigning within its coverage area.

3. The obligations provided for by this Law for equal allotment of airtime, creation of equal conditions for participating in debates, and for setting equal
conditions for election advertising shall apply only to the broadcasters referred to in paragraphs (5, 6 and 61) of this article and only in relation to
qualified electoral subjects; in the case provided for in paragraph (61) of this article the obligations shall also apply in relation to the electoral subjects
referred to in subparagraph (c) of the same paragraph.

4. For the purposes of this article, a qualified electoral subject shall be an electoral subject, the affiliated party of which meets the following
requirements:

a) independently ran in the previous parliamentary election and received not less than 4% of votes;

b) independently ran in the previous election for local self-government held under the proportional system and received not less than 3% of votes
throughout the country;

c) was the first member in the list of the electoral bloc that received in the previous parliamentary election not less than 4% of the votes;

d) was the first member in the list of the electoral bloc that received in the previous local self- government election held under the proportional system
not less than 3% of votes throughout the country.

5. During the election campaign in their respective coverage areas, the Public Broadcaster, Ajara TV and Radio of the Public Broadcaster, as well as any
community broadcasting licensee shall broadcast in every hour (for not more 60 seconds), free of charge and without discrimination, the pre-election
advertisements presented to them by each qualified electoral subject. The airtime not used by an electoral subject may not be added to other airtime
allotted to the electoral subject.

6. During the general election campaign, a national broadcaster holding a general broadcasting license shall broadcast every three hours, for at least 90
seconds, free of charge and without discrimination, the pre-election advertisements submitted to the broadcaster by each qualified electoral subject. The
airtime not used by an electoral subject may not be added to any other airtime allotted to the electoral subject.

61. A broadcaster, other than the ones referred to in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of this article, shall broadcast pre-election advertising free of charge
for the last 30 days until the Election Day if during the election campaign within its coverage area it airs any paid pre-election advertising of the
electoral subject specified in Article 30(12) of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens. In that case, the broadcaster shall allot
time to pre-election advertising free of charge (if the paid advertising is aired during the prime time as defined by the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting,
the free advertising shall be aired in the proportion provided for below and in the same time period, on the same day or, in agreement with the client,
on another day. In all other cases, free advertising shall be broadcast in a three-hour interval from the time of broadcasting paid advertising in the
broadcasting network, on the same day or, in agreement with the client, on another day. The free advertising airtime not used by an electoral subject
may not be added to other advertising airtime allotted to such subject):

a) for the above electoral subject, the time equal to the advertising time purchased by the electoral subject. The time shall be distributed so as not to take
up more than 90 seconds in three hours;

b) for the qualified electoral subjects specified in the fourth paragraph of this article, other than the electoral subjects provided for in Article 30(12) of
the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens – the time, which equals the total advertising time purchased by the subjects referred to
in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph divided by the number of these subjects and which must be equally apportioned among the subjects referred to in
subparagraph (b) of this paragraph, provided that the time allotted to one electoral subject does not take up more than 90 seconds in three hours;

c) for the qualified electoral subjects defined in paragraph (2)(q1) of this Law, other than the qualified electoral subjects specified in the fourth paragraph
of this article, the time twice as much as the total advertising time purchased under this paragraph, which must be equally apportioned among the
electoral subjects, provided that the time allotted to one subject does not take up more than 90 seconds in three hours.

62. The broadcasters referred to in paragraph (61) of this article willing to air paid pre-election advertising shall provide the CEC and Georgian National
Communications Commission, not later than the 55th day before Election Day, with information on the proposed paid pre-election advertising airing

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schedule and the advertising time price, which will be posted on the official CEC website within one day. An electoral subject indicated in Article
30(12) of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens shall provide the CEC and the relevant broadcaster, not later than the 40th day
before Election Day, with information on the purchase of advertising time from each particular broadcaster according to the above schedule (the
information shall contain dates, airtime intervals for the advertising to be aired during the day and the duration of the advertising time to be purchased).
A broadcaster, from whom the electoral subject purchased advertising time, shall provide the CEC and Georgian National Communications Commission,
not later than the 38th day before Election Day, with information on the free advertising airtime allotted under paragraph (61) of this article (such
information shall contain dates, airtime intervals for the advertising to be aired during the day and the duration of the advertising time), as well as
information on the schedule for airing advertising within the advertising time allotted to each qualified electoral subject specified in paragraph (61)(b)
and (c) of this article. The CEC shall post the above information on its official website within one day. An electoral subject eligible to receive free
advertising time shall give the relevant broadcaster at least two days prior notice of the intention to use its due time and submit the advertising at the
time agreed with the broadcaster.

63. The Public Broadcaster shall arrange for sign language translation for its programmes aired in connection with elections during the election
campaign period.

7. For the purposes of this article, a qualified electoral subject for presidential elections shall be considered a candidate nominated by a political union
funded from the State Budget of Georgia according to Article 30 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Unions of Citizens based on the results of the
previous parliamentary or local self-government elections.

8. A broadcaster shall have the right to recognize as a qualified electoral subject the political party that, according to the public opinion poll conducted
throughout the territory of Georgia according to the terms and conditions referred to in this article, has gained not less than 4% of votes in not less than
5 public opinion polls conducted during the election year or in the public opinion poll conducted a month before elections. Discriminatory use of
sociological surveys by any broadcaster shall not be permitted.

9. A local broadcaster shall be obliged to recognize a political party/bloc as a qualified electoral subject if:

a) it meets the requirements referred to in the fourth paragraph of this article;

b) its candidate(s) won the previous parliamentary elections held in the majoritarian electoral district falling within the local broadcaster’s coverage
area, the candidate(s) moved to the second round of elections or received not less than 25% of votes;

c) it received not less than 25% of votes in elections for Sakrebulo.

10. A local broadcaster shall have the right to recognize the following as a qualified electoral subject:

a) a political party that obtained not less than 10% votes in the previous parliamentary or local self-government elections held in the respective
majoritarian electoral district;

b) a political party that enjoys support of not less than 25% of voters according to the public opinion poll conducted in the respective majoritarian
electoral district as defined by this Law, as identified by not less than two successive surveys conducted during the election year;

c) a majoritarian candidate nominated by an initiative group of voters that enjoys support of not less than 25% of voters according to the public opinion
poll conducted in the respective majoritarian electoral district as defined in this Law, as identified by not less than two successive surveys conducted
during the election year.

11. For the purposes of this Law, a public opinion poll shall meet the following requirements:

a) it shall be based on the acknowledged scientific methodology of representative random selection that provides 95% credibility of results with a
margin of error not exceeding 3%;

b) it shall be published after double-checking the credibility of the methodology of the public opinion poll and objectivity of its results;

c) it shall be feasible to provide convincing scientific explanation if there are significant discrepancies or changes in the results of the same or other
comparative public opinion polls;

d) it shall not constitute a tool for manipulating public opinion or fundraising and it shall not be conducted via telephone, mail, and/or internet;

e) it shall be based on transparent methodology that enables providing an independent double-check of the results;

f) while publishing the results, the following shall be specified:

f.a) an organisation having conducted a public opinion poll

f. b) a person having ordered or funded a public opinion poll

f. c) the exact formulation and sequence of questions put in a public opinion poll

f.d) the time of conducting field opinion poll

f.e) the number of individuals interviewed and the method of selection

f.f) in what area or among what category of people the selection was conducted

f.g) whether the survey is based on the opinions of all respondents

f.h) the number of respondents who refused to participate in the poll, who did not answer a question, or who could not be interviewed

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f.i) the sample size

f.j) the margin of error

f.k) information about any other factors that might have caused a significant impact on the results.

12. The Public Broadcaster and Ajara TV and Radio of the Public Broadcaster (legal entities under public law) shall be obliged to allot airtime for pre-
election advertising for all other parties and electoral blocs, other than the qualified electoral subjects, and the airtime shall be equally distributed among
these subjects.

13. If the parties united in an electoral bloc used free airtime before uniting in the bloc, the free advertising time used thereby (except for the free
airtime period of the party being the first in the list of the bloc) shall be deducted from the free airtime period to be allotted for the bloc, as an electoral
subject, following its creation.

14. The obligation to allot free airtime provided for by this article shall be solely applied to the local broadcaster in the course of by-elections.

15. The GNCC shall determine the procedure for participation and use of the media in the electoral process, shall supervise the observance of provisions
under this Law by any broadcaster, and shall give respective response to violations of those provisions. The GNCC shall purchase the services necessary
for media monitoring according to the legislation of Georgia.

16. It is prohibited to broadcast any paid and/or free pre-election advertising through TV or radio on polling day.

17. Within the period from the entry into force of a legal act of the President of Georgia concerning the appointment of an election date to Election
Day, a person authorised to broadcast shall be obliged to include in the package offered to customers the Public Broadcaster, Ajara TV and Radio of the
Public Broadcaster, a common broadcaster licensed under the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting that broadcasts within the service delivery area of the
person authorised to broadcast (for satellite broadcasting the broadcasting area, for the purposes of this article, shall be the entire territory of Georgia),
and a common broadcast licence holder that is available for at least 20% of the population of Georgia. In this case, a person authorised to broadcast may
not have the right to claim compensation from the broadcaster for the transmission of a broadcast channel, while a person authorised to broadcast shall
ensure to transmit broadcast channels referred to in this paragraph to customers under equal and non-discriminative financial conditions.

18. A person authorised to broadcast may, under the seventeenth paragraph of this article, within the period from the entry into force of a legal act of
the President of Georgia concerning the appointment of an election date to Election Day, provide the transit of broadcasting referred to in the
seventeenth paragraph of this article without permission of the respective broadcaster.

19. A person authorised to broadcast shall be obliged to comply with the obligations provided for by the seventeenth paragraph of this article within
three days after the entry into force of a legal act of the President of Georgia concerning the appointment of an election date. If a person authorised to
broadcast fails to comply with the obligations under this article, it shall be given a warning. Any failure to eliminate the violation within three days
after being warned or any repeated failure to comply with the obligations shall lead to the suspension of authorised broadcasting for a period of one
year.

20. The GNCC shall consider and decide the imposition of administrative punishments referred to in the nineteenth paragraph of this article on its own
initiative or based on an application of the respective broadcaster within 48 hours after identifying the fact of default on obligations or after the receipt
of the respective application of the same broadcaster.

21. Rights and obligations referred to in paragraphs 17-20 of this article shall apply to the person authorised to broadcasts and the broadcasters acting
within the relevant area in the following cases: prior to the second round of voting if the second round of elections is appointed, and for the respective
time frame during by-elections.

Organic Law of Georgia No 6605 of 29 June 2012 – website, 16.7.2012

Organic Law of Georgia No 834 of 12 July 2013 – website, 25.7.2013

Organic Law of Georgia No 877 of 27 July 2013 – website, 20.8.2013

Organic Law of Georgia No 2093 of 7 March 2014 – website, 14.3.2014

 Chapter VII. Election/Referendum Funding