Putin signs legislation regulating individual foreign agents running in elections
MOSCOW. April 20 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill instituting regulations on individuals designated as foreign agents and individuals affiliated with foreign agents running in elections.
The document was published on the official online database for legal information on Tuesday.
The legislation introduces the notion of entity affiliated with a foreign agent.
For instance, this term shall apply to a candidate who belongs or has belonged to the management of a foreign media designated as a foreign agent or another entity included in the list of foreign media designated as foreign agents, or has been a founder, manager, or employee of such a media outlet in the period two years prior to election or during an election campaign.
Those who belonged or belong to the governing bodies of an NGO designated as a foreign agent or an unregistered NGO, or have been its founders, managers, or employees, or those who have pursued political activities and received money or other assets from foreign agents shall also be designated as entities affiliated with a foreign agent.
The law stipulates that foreign citizens, people without citizenship, unregistered non-governmental organizations, NGOs designated as foreign agents, foreign media designated as foreign agents, and Russian legal entities included in the register of foreign media designated as foreign agents "are not entitled to pursue activities facilitating or obstructing the nomination of candidates or lists of candidates," as well as the achievement of a certain result in an election or a referendum, or be otherwise involved in an election campaign or a referendum campaign.
The law stipulates that information indicating that a candidate is an individual designated as a foreign agent or is affiliated with a foreign agent must be present in the signature lists and in any materials informing voters of candidates, including online and offline media outlets.
Such information must also be present on information boards and in campaign materials, and it "must be clearly visible (clearly audible) and occupy at least 15% of the size of a campaign material."
The law says that a public appearance of such a candidate must be preceded or provided with the relevant information.
If a candidate designated as a foreign agent has prior convictions, this must be indicated in the signature lists following the candidate's patronymic.
If an individual or a foreign media designated as a foreign agent makes a donation to a candidate's campaign fund, the donator must indicate this information in the bank transfer form.
The law also stipulates that a voluntary donation to anyone's campaign fund can be made either at a post office or at a lending institution personally by an individual donator, using their own money, and upon the presentation of a passport.