Today, MANS filed six more complaints to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (APC) against the media that violate the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns, i.e. publish promotional political content contrary to the law.
The media covered by these complaints include Pink M television, TV Corona, Novi TV, radio Elmag, but also public broadcasters RTV Budva and RT Pljevlja.
All these media started broadcasting of advertising political content with price lists that were not submitted to APC in time, which represents violation of the Article 16 of the Law on Financing of Political Entities and Election Campaigns, while Novi TV did not provide a price list according to which electoral lists can rent media space on that television.
Back at the end of July, MANS warned APC and its director, Jelena Perović. that a number of media submitted price lists after the legal deadline, after which we submitted initiatives in accordance with the law and requested that the disputed price lists be removed from the Agency’s website. We then pointed out that any delay in the application of the law by APC can lead to further violations of the law, which is what is happening now.
The data monitored by MANS show that almost all reported media outlets have started publishing paid political advertisements and are violating the law unhindered by APC. Last week, due to such practice, we filed complaints against Antena M, Radio Skala and portal Borba.
Latest analysis showed that the media continue to broadcast political advertisements, while APC is still without any concrete reaction. Thus, in the period from August 11 to 18, as many as 7700 seconds of advertising political content were broadcast on PINK M television, according to the price list that is not harmonized with the law. In that period, PINK M had two dominant clients – the electoral list “For the Future of Montenegro” (coalition DF-SNP-PCG-People’s Movement), which broadcast around 5600 seconds of political propaganda content on this TV company, and the electoral list “DPS – Decisively for Montenegro” whose commercials lasted a total of 2100 seconds.
According to the price list of this media, which is still on the APC’s website against the law, the price for broadcasting political ads per second ranges from €5 to €15, depending on the time when it is published.
This example alone shows the consequences of the decision of the APC director, Jelena Perović, that only two weeks before the parliamentary elections her institution is completely passive in relation to obvious examples of violations of the law, the application of which she herself should monitor.
Non-acting of APC and Perović in relation to so many very concrete cases of violations of the law can no longer be justified by ignorance of the matter or lack of capacity, especially since MANS has been pointing to them from the beginning of the election campaign, but the reason for it should be sought elsewhere.
Nevertheless, the evidence of violations of the law is piling, and MANS will continue to properly record any deviations from the election rules, even those that, unfortunately, refer to the work of the Agency itself, which should be the first line of defense against political corruption. The way that Perović currently runs the Agency, it certainly is not.
MANS
