| The Monitoring Council for the election campaign is not
functioning yet, but some political parties are on the verge of recalling
their representatives from this structure. The Communist
Party (CPRF) is one such party, according to Vadim Soloviov, its representative
to the Council. The Communists intend to withdraw from the Council and
from the treaty among political parties that led to the establishment
of the Council in the first place. The Election 2003 treaty, also known
as a "non-aggression pact", was signed by all political parties
(except for Yabloko) running for the Duma.
The Communist move is attributable to the party's displeasure with the
Council's response to Gennadi Seleznev's complaint about a story broadcast
on the Vesti TV program on September 3. Zyuganov is convinced that by
covering the Moscow International Book Fair, the Rossiia channel "launched
an official propagandistic campaign against the CPRF in utter defiance
of the law and instructions released by the Central Electoral Commission."
Experts from the Council failed to find any incriminating evidence in
the work of Vesti correspondents. The Council ruled, however, that the
correspondents in questions could and should have been more tactful, and
sent Zyuganov's complaint to the Union of Journalists and National Association
of TV and Radio Broadcasters.
Discussions in the Monitoring Council continue against the background
of a conflict between journalists and the Central Electoral Commission.
A working group for information disputes of the Moscow Election Commission
has already found some periodicals guilty of violating the new legislation.
The matter concerns Kommersant-Vlast magazine and the Tverskaya, 13 weekly
that ran some articles on the performance of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
The articles offered contrasting viewpoints. The Moscow Election Commission
decided against an appeal to the Media Ministry that would have resulted
in official warnings. It merely sent cables to Kommersant-Vlast and Tverskaya,
13 saying that such articles were unacceptable.
Regional election commissions are not that benevolent. According to
our sources, regional election commission in Kaliningrad have already
issued 18 (!) warnings to local newspapers and TV channels. Bryansk election
commission issued warnings to local newspapers Desnitsa (for an interview
with Igor Artemiev,
candidate for the Duma from Yabloko), Bryanskiye Vesti and Bryansky Perekrestok
(for publication of results of opinion polls they had organized).
The Central Electoral Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov defends
his regional colleagues. "In my view, journalists are irked that
they cannot make as much money from elections as they used to in the past,"
he said.
See also:
Freedom
of Speech and Media Law in Russia
State Duma Elections 2003
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