Regulation of procedures of electoral campaigning and publicity is enshrined in the Electoral Code (adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the 9 th convocation) mostly repeats the provisions of the electoral law adopted over 10 years before its approval, and does not comply with the current conditions of media activities.
At the same time, it shall be mentioned that one highly successful chapter of Electoral Code voted by the Verkhovna Rada of the 8 th convocation (further largely transformed in the process of enforcing presidential veto) in terms of consensus of expert and media environment was the regulation of information support and campaigning. Unfortunately, the final version of Electoral Code failed to reflect many of these provisions. Thus, the final version of Electoral Code completely lost the provisions on regulating political ads on the Internet and in social media; the innovative provisions were deleted in part of regulating activities of mass media and certain innovations of the chapter on “Electoral Campaigning.”
Therefore, current provisions of Electoral Code on regulating the campaign shall be supplemented with provisions positively approved by experts and reflected in the version of Electoral Code vetoed by the President. At the same time, the approach of the current Code shall be kept when no temporary cancellation of licenses of broadcasters or temporary termination of publication of printed media can be kept. Furthermore, it is valid to refuse from the total ban on outdoor advertisements (drastic restriction of electoral campaigning failed to enjoy support among political forces, the CEC as election administrator, and experts).
Key issues that required urgent attendance on a legal level were included into the Road Map of Reform in Electoral Area, referenda, and political finance for 2020 – and they have not lost their relevance. The practice of conducting first and regular local elections 2020 proved their relevance and highlighted new challenges and gaps in legal regulation.