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CEC to have drawing to distribute free air time between 7 parties

The parties can also campaign on the commercial basis at the same time

MOSCOW, October 31 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Central Elections Commission will have a scheduled drawing on Monday. This time seven parties, which are running in the State Duma elections, will have a drawing for the free air time for canvassing. The free air time is provided on four federal television channels and four radio stations, namely the television channels Rossiya-1, Rossiya-24, Channel One, TV CENTER – Moscow and the radio stations Radio Rossiya, Mayak, Vesti FM and The Voice of Russia.

Each party will have an hour of the free air time on each television channel and radio station. Under the election law a half of free air time is envisaged for debates. Not only the duets, but also the trios will participate in the debates, because the number of registered parties is uneven.

The parties can also campaign on the commercial basis at the same time. Some 31 television channels and radio stations, 137 printed editions and 26 Internet editions made bids to provide their grounds for canvassing, a member of the Central Elections Commission Maya Grishina in charge of this issue said. Some 83 publishing houses are ready to print canvassing products.

If the drawing for giving the numbers of the parties in the ballot paper by the means of a drawing machine looked like a lottery last Friday, the Monday drawing will look like an examination. The parties will have a drawing in the envelopes. The drawing machine may be also used.

On November 2, the CEC will have a drawing for the distribution of the printed space in 13 all-Russian newspapers.

The campaigning in the media, which is traditionally the brightest and most spectacular stage in the election campaign, will start on November 5. The campaigning will last until midnight on December 3, when the day of silence will come.

The elections in the sixth State Duma are scheduled for December 4. All seven registered political parties will run in the elections.

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