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The official election campaign for the 10th April presidential elections in France began today for the 12 candidates, a period during which their activities must be carried out on a level playing field.
One of the requirements for this period is the strict equality of speaking time and television exposure of the candidates for the Elysée Palace, which will come under the control of the audiovisual communications regulator (Arcom).
TV and radio stations are required to report time spent with candidates on their premises on a daily basis, and any violation of parity could result in sanctions from Arcom, including fines.
On April 9th the official election campaign for the first ballot ends and from midnight on April 8th electoral propaganda is prohibited.
With the start of this phase today, the punters’ videos will also be broadcast on public media, including French television and Radio France, a free channel for competing politicians and their parties or groups.
This opportunity gives candidates and organizations that are rarely seen in the media the same time to publicize their positions in front of an electorate of almost 49 million French who will go to the polls again on April 24th.
Other important elements of the official campaign will be the sending of electoral propaganda to voters, such as the program of the 12 candidates approved by the Constitutional Council this month and the placement of posters in public spaces reserved for mayoral offices.
The polls these days reflect the preference of President Emmanuel Macron, to whom they attribute 28 percent of voting intentions, and the leader of the extreme right Marine Le Pen (19-20) in the second round.
Further away but with choices, the boss of La Francia Insumisa, Jean-Luc Mélenchon (14-15 percent), always according to what the polls give.