International polling agencies criticise moratorium

International polling associations have released a joint critical stance toward a piece of legislation adopted by the Slovak Parliament in late October extending a ban on releasing the results of relevant polls before elections from 14 days to 50 days. In the meantime the bill has been vetoed by President Zuzana Čaputová, with Parliament now having to find at least 76 votes to overrule the veto. "The ban on publishing results of pre-election polls restricts free access to information and jeopardises democracy . The public has the right to information, otherwise it will be excluded from the important process of acquiring information, while a privileged minority will always find its ways," said World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) president Marita Carballo. The supporters of the bill argue that it is designed to protect voters from disinformation and purpose-built information.