09 September 2003 00:14
Putin bans election analysis
The Kremlin has introduced a draconian election law which threatens the media with closure if they give details of candidates' personal lives or analyse their policies. The new law aims to stem the "black PR" and slurs which marred past elections, but it has infuriated opposition MPs and journalists. Some said it represented a return to the Soviet era control of political debate. The decree, signed by President Vladimir Putin, also bans the forecasting of election results and requires all candidates to be given equal coverage, a practical impossibility because there are 44 parties. A media outlet can be shut after two warnings. "The law substantially limits press freedoms," said Alexander Shishlov of the liberal party Yabloko . But Mr Putin seems to have fallen foul of the law himself. He appeared on television last week endorsing Valentina Matvienko for St Petersburg governor, although the law prohibits officials using their posts to promote their parties or re-election. A court yesterday began hearing a complaint against his appearance, lodged by opposition MPs. A St Petersburg paper has reacted to the decree by leaving its front page blank and reporting the election inside as a foreign one, with fictional names. Nick Paton Walsh, Moscow
[UKIR [UK & Ireland Intelligence Wire]] |
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