Wednesday, November 12 is the last day permitted by law to campaign for the upcoming municipal elections on Saturday, with all election campaigns being required to cease 48 hours before the election takes place. This equates to Thursday, November 13 at 07:00. The subsequent moratorium on political promotion from candidates will last until all polling stations are closed on Saturday, November 15 at 20:00.
The law on elections to the municipal election campaign is defined as the activity of the political parties, independent candidates and other entities dedicated to the promotion or for the benefit of political parties or independent candidates. Campaigns are defined to include advertising through radio, television, and mass media, as well as posters or other informational media.
The moratorium also includes criticism and praise for candidates in both public and privately-funded media and news sources. This applies to “radio and television broadcasts in mass media”, and the ban excludes all information on political parties and independent candidates either in their favour or against them via words, sound, or images. Such restriction also prohibits members of election commissions and election workers from specialised departments informing of the progress and partial results of the election, and lasts until the signing of the outcome of the election.
These elections will decide the mayors and local politicians for local councils right across Slovakia for the next four years. This year’s elections will see 2926 representatives from municipalities and towns with 4.4 million Slovaks aged over 18 and therefore eligible to vote.
