OSCE-commissioned study on political advertising and media campaign during the pre-election period

PODGORICA, 28 September 2017 – The presentation of the comparative study “Political advertising and media campaign during the pre-election period” was the focus of an event organized today in Podgorica by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM).

Representatives of the Montenegrin Public Service Broadcaster, civil society, media institutions, political parties and the Montenegrin government and parliament discussed the importance and legal framework of political advertising and media campaigning during the pre-election period. They stressed the need to preserve unbiased media reporting and explored possibilities for improvement in this field.

“It is of great importance to create a proper legal framework for political parties, as well as for the media and regulators, in order to achieve fairness and equal representation,” said Ambassador Maryse Daviet, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

The Deputy Director of the AEM, Jadranka Vojvodić, stated that the aim of the study was to assist the Agency in improving the legal framework regulating political advertising by providing a broad comparison of different legal systems’ methods and state of play, as well as recommendations for improving existing legal frameworks.

“Political communication in general, and especially through the media regarding elections, is intertwined with a broad spectrum of important rights. The media are obliged to report on elections fairly and in a balanced, unbiased manner. It is very important to reconcile media rights, rights of political parties and citizens’ rights. This study will help us achieve that,” said Vojvodić.