Based on the decree of the President of the Republic, no. 13438, dated 20.01.2022 “On setting the date of local by-elections for mayor for some local government units”, as well as on the eve of the election campaign for the elections of 6 March 2022 in the municipalities of Shkodër, Dibër, Durrës, Vorë, Rrogozhinë and Lushnjë, the Audiovisual Media Authority, AMA, highly appreciates the role and impact of audio and audiovisual media in informing and educating the citizens.
As in previous election processes, through broadcast content, voters have more opportunities to recognize and evaluate competing candidates, political entities, platforms and their proposals for the community, to follow the dynamics of the field campaign, the instructions of the Central Election Commission etc.
AMA believes that the period of the election campaign, which officially starts on February 19, 2022, will have a balanced coverage and professional standards by audio and audiovisual newsrooms, ensuring a transparent process and as effective as possible for citizens.
Regarding last year’s parliamentary elections, AMA gets the chance to remind the audio and audiovisual newsrooms of the need to implement the requirements of the Electoral Code of the Republic, to respect the time for competing entities and candidates, as well as the political advertising space in election campaign service.
In the last election campaign there were cases when the Audiovisual Media Service Providers did not keep the time proportions of covering the activity of the participating entities; did not respect the balance of the volume of political advertisements, or placed on the screen, constantly, the party logo; did not respect the deadline for publishing electoral polls, did not respect the silence on election day, etc.
AMA, in daily communication with the CEC, reported the monitoring findings, including the identified violations. According to the legislation in force, the institutional monitoring and communication between AMA – CEC will continue for the by-elections campaign of March 6, 2022, to identify cases when the requirements of the Electoral Code of the Republic are ignored or violated.
Based on the positive experience and the existing contribution of the audio and audiovisual newsrooms in covering the previous election processes, AMA’s expectation is for a responsible and professional commitment on your part as Audiovisual Media Service Providers.
