MOSCOW, August 14 (Itar-Tass) —— A Just Russia party will regain this August nearly two hours of federal broadcast time it failed to have in July, the Russian Central Elections Commission decided on Tuesday. This is the first large debt since the endorsement of a law, which ensured equal coverage of the activity of all parliamentary parties by national television and radio broadcasters.
A Just Russia will regain one hour 53 minutes and 43 seconds of federal broadcast time, Central Elections Commission Deputy Chairman Leonid Ivlev said. On the whole, the Central Elections Commission approved the estimate of federal broadcast time of parliamentary parties and acknowledged the fulfillment of the relevant law. The activity of four parliamentary parties was covered in more than 60 hours of federal broadcast time last month, Ivlev said.
The law was adopted in spring 2009, and the Central Elections Commission began its monitoring. The parliamentary parties shall have equal access to state-run television and radio broadcasters, among them the Russian State Television and Radio Company comprising Rossiya and Vesti channels, Radio of Russia, Mayak, Vesti FM, as well as regional companies broadcasting their programs to all the constituents of Russia.
The Central Elections Commission sets the procedure and methods of federal broadcast time estimate and provides relevant control. A deviation from the set amount of broadcast time cannot be larger than 3%. The commission counts reports and videos containing key words, flags and emblems of the parties. Reports showing deputies and members of party administrations are not counted if they are unrelated to the activity of the parliamentary party and no party or faction name is indicated in the report.