A significant portion of the election campaign will play out in the media landscape. For a first time, the ALIA has officially been commissioned by law to help establish common rules and monitor the campaign of each party.
ALIA president Thierry Hoscheit commented: “One of the points was how long media campaigns should last and how to apply the rules.” Rules include broadcasting duration and time, fair play, and equal speaking time during roundtable discussions. Parties agreed on a date to start hanging election posters and that nobody should spend more than €100,000 in the five weeks running up to the election.
Sanctions in case of violations have not been defined, however.
Hoscheit laments that only RTL and Radio 100,7 fall under the purview of the ALIA. Local TV stations and radio broadcasters will not be monitored despite the fact that they are also financed with public funds.
The Authority is similarly limited when it comes to monitoring social media. However, a law is currently being worked on to regulate campaigns on social media platforms during the 2024 European Parliament elections.
