CEC ESTABLISHES ORDER AND SCHEDULE OF PROVIDING AIRTIME FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES’ PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION AND PUBLIC RADIO

Noyan Tapan
Jan 21, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Central Electoral Commission
(CEC) on January 21 established the order and schedule of providing
airtime to the presidential candidates for conducting pre-election
campaign of the February 19 presidential elections in Armenia on the
Public Television and the Public Radio.

According to the established order, from January 23 to February 17
inclusive, the presidential candidates will be provided time to speak
on the Public Television from 5:15 p.m and on the Public Radio –
from 1:30 p.m. Due to technical reasons the start of airtime may be
changed by the Public Television and the Public Radio but no more than
within 30 minutes. With the aim of conducting pre-election propaganda
campign on the Public Television, each candidate will be given the
total free airtime of 60 minutes and the total paid airtime of up to
120 minutes, and 120 minutes of free time and up to 180 minutes of
paid time on the Public Radio.

On the Public Television, each candidate will be given 2 minutes of
free time and up to 4 minutes of paid time a day from January 23 to
February 10 inclusive, 3 minutes of free time and up to 6 minutes of
paid time a day on February 11-16, and 4 minutes of free time and up to
8 minutes of paid time on the last day of the pre-election campaign –
on February 17. On the Public Radio, each candidate will be provided
4 minutes of free time and up to 6 minutes of paid time a day from
January 23 to February 10 inclusive, 6 minutes of free time and up
to 9 minutes of paid time on February 11-16, and 8 minutes of free
time and up to 12 minutes of paid time on February 17.

The sequence of using airtime by the presidential candidates was
decided by casting lots. In case of not using airtime in accordance
with the schedule or not using full airtime, the given candidate will
not be given airtime instead of it.

To recap, based on the results of the lot casting, the presidential
candidate, prime minister of the RA, chairman of the Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) Serge Sargsian will start the pre-election campaign
on the Public Television on January 23 and finish it on February 17.