Yarmoshyna says authorities hold monopoly on electronic media

This statement was made at the seminar “Role of Mass Media in Electoral Campaigns”.

Speaking about electoral campaigns, head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna explained the public doesn’t see the real process but take in the way it is represented by the media. According to her, this is not so wide-spread in Belarus, because the state holds monopoly on the electronic media and the public demonstrates “weak demand” for sources specializing in political information. “Yellow press is more popular in our country,” Yarmoshyna thinks.

Pointing out dependence of public confidence to election on their coverage by the media, Yarmoshyna noted “a position of defamation has more chances to succeed as it is based on natural inclination of a person rather to believe in bad than in good”. In the opinion of the CEC head, coverage of elections by the media should be based on a range of rules. “Coverage has to be regular but not excessive, has to rely on precise details, which are to bring elections and voters closer, there should be less calls, but more concrete examples of how the power works,” Yarmoshyna explained.

“Strict observance of the principle of equal coverage of candidates is impossible due to their different social and political weights and financial opportunities, if personal electoral funds are created,” the CEC head noted.

Speaking about amendments to the electoral legislation of Belarus, the CEC head noted after the National TV and Radio Company allotted air time, the CEC would reserve a part of it for debates between candidates for presidency and seats in local councils. She stressed that participating in debates would be voluntary, but if a candidate refused to take part in debates, he or she wouldn’t be given additional air time.

The chairwoman of the CEC noted candidates to seats in the local council would have the right for one speech on the radio (but not debates), free publishing electoral programmes in newspapers. She added formation of personal electoral funds would be banned.

Speaking about candidates’ personal electoral funds, the CEC head stressed resources of the fund should be spent in the country, ordering products abroad would be prohibited. Resources can be spent on advertising campaign, paying mass media for their services and printing propaganda materials, but not on producing consumer goods.