CEC names date for airtime drawing for State Duma candidates

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) - The Central Election Commission will
draw airtime for State Duma candidates on November 1.
Each state-owned television channel will give a total of seven hours
of airtime to
Parties. A part of that time will be used for campaigning and the
other part for debates, Central Election Commission member Maya Grishina
said.
Entitled to free airtime will be only those parties that have no debts
to mass media from the previous elections in 2007.
"Potentially, this rule applies to the Patriots of Russia and Yabloko
that received less than 3 percent of votes. Nevertheless, these parties
can also participate in the airtime drawing procedure, but they will have
to pay for their share of the airtime in advance," Grishina said.
The drawing of airtime for presidential candidates in the upcoming
presidential election to be held in March 2012 as been tentatively
scheduled for February 9, 2012.