Election advertising represents the calls, statements, photos and other similar materials, printed or in digital format, used by electoral competitors in the election campaign. These can contain messages that call on the electors to vote them.
The local public authorities are obliged, within three days of the start of the campaign period, to provide and guarantee a minimum of special places for election advertising. The given decisions (orders) will be placed immediately at the head office of these authorities and are communicated to those interested through the mass media and other available communication means.
The local public authorities must make sure that the special election advertising places are situated in places that are frequently visited by people and do not disrupt traffic on public roads and other activities. These are obliged to ensure beforehand that any posters or symbols from the previous election campaigns are removed.
The electoral billboards are placed uniformly on the territory of the settlement. The minimum area allotted to an election runner on a publicly-owned electoral billboard is of 1m². If it is impossible to allot the minimum area of 1 m² on one electoral billboard, this area is equally divided on several billboards.
It is banned placing electoral advertising in other places than the allotted ones as well as in public units of transport carrying passengers, on monuments, buildings and other facilities with historical, cultural or historical value, regardless of the form of ownership; in buildings that house electoral councils and offices and at a distance of 100 meters from these; on fences, poles and other types of constructions and on devices and equipment, regardless of the form of ownership.
On the election day and on the day before the election day, no election advertising is allowed, but the given ban does not refer to information that was already placed on the internet and the election and/or political advertising materials that were printed or disseminated earlier. The posting in unauthorized places and the destruction or damaging of election advertising carry penalties.
The local public administration is responsible for the removal of unauthorized election advertising. This has the right to recover the related costs from the person to blame retrospectively. The police, together with the local public authorities, are obliged to identify and remove the election and/or political advertising materials placed on billboards that do not meet the norms.
Under the Contravention Code, the placing of election advertising in other places than the provided ones is punished with a fine of 20 to 30 conventional units, which is 1,000 to 1,500 lei.
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The IPN series ”I want to know ABOUT ELECTIONS” is designed to explain notions, terms and practices related to the presidential election process.
