Notice for the territorial elections in the Wallis and Futuna Islands (March 10, 2002)

Elections will be held in Wallis and Futuna (French Polynesia) on March 10, 2002, for the renewal of the Territorial Assembly. On February 5, the French Superior Audiovisual Council adopted a notice for television and radio stations covering the election campaign.

After deliberation, the French Superior Audiovisual Council issued the following notice to radio and television services in the Wallis and Futuna Islands, with effect from February 25, the opening date of the election campaign.

News related to the elections

1°) When dealing with a given electoral district, television and radio services must ensure that lists of candidates and the personalities supporting them have fair presentation and access to the airwaves, and report on all lists.
2°) When the coverage of this election goes beyond the framework of a given electoral district, television and radio services ensure that the various political forces presenting one or more lists benefit from equitable presentation and access to the airwaves.
3°) The reports, comments and presentations to which these elections give rise must be presented by the editorial staff with a constant concern for balance and honesty. Editors must ensure that the choice of extracts from candidates' statements and writings, and the comments to which they may give rise, do not distort their general meaning.
4°) With regard to magazine or special programs, the Council demands that departments pay close attention to their invitation policy to ensure compliance with the principles mentioned in 1° and 2° above.
5°) In news programmes other than news programmes, the Council considers that election-related interventions should be avoided if the principles mentioned in 1° and 2° above cannot be respected.
6°) Equity must be achieved in Wallisian and Futunian language programs on the one hand, and in French language programs on the other.
7°) The principles defined in this notice apply to the entire programme shown, including programme elements which may originate from other audiovisual communication services. Particular attention should therefore be paid to such program repeats.

Local news not related to elections

1°) Radio and television services provide coverage of local news not related to elections, taking into account local political balance.
2°) For news not related to elections, the Council considers that it is preferable not to invite candidates, except in the case of an imperative due to current events.

Other obligations

1°) Transmission of information to the Board
Radio and television broadcasters must be able to provide the Conseil, at its request, with all the information it needs to investigate any submissions of a case before the court, in particular statements of speaking time by political figures and audio or visual tapes of various broadcasts concerning the election campaign.
2°) Special obligations
- Until the opening date of the election campaign, employees of television and radio services who are candidates must ensure that any on-air or on-screen interventions they make do not have any electoral impact likely to undermine the equality of candidates with regard to propaganda means and therefore the fairness of the ballot.
These same employees shall refrain from appearing on air or speaking on the air in the exercise of their duties from the opening of the official campaign until polling day inclusive.
- Radio and television services shall ensure that any use made of audiovisual archives containing images or words of public figures :
- does not give rise to editing or use likely to distort the original meaning of the document;
- is systematically accompanied by the source and date.
- Radio and television services may not repeat all or part of the broadcasts of the official radio and television campaign.
- The principles established by the jurisprudence of the election judge must be scrupulously respected. In particular, the diffusion of defamatory, misleading or insulting statements, or those that introduce new elements of electoral controversy, on a date or under conditions that make a response impossible or ineffective, is likely to distort the sincerity of the ballot and thus lead to its annulment.

Miscellaneous schemes

- Article 14 of the law of September 30, 1986, as amended, prohibits radio or television advertising programs of a political nature.
- In accordance with the second paragraph of article L.49 of the French Electoral Code, "as of 0.00 a.m. on the eve of the ballot, it is forbidden to show or have shown, by any means of audiovisual communication, any message having the character of electoral propaganda".
- In accordance with article L.52-2 of the French Electoral Code, no election results, partial or definitive, may be communicated to the public by any means of audiovisual communication before the last polling station has shut down.
- In accordance with article 11 of the amended law of July 19, 1977 relating to the publication and diffusion of certain opinion polls, the diffusion and commentary of any poll directly or indirectly related to an election are prohibited by any means during the week preceding the election, as well as during the election itself.
- Audiovisuel communication services are obliged to implement, where appropriate, the right of reply instituted by article 6 of the law of July 29, 1982, maintained in force by the aforementioned amended law of September 30, 1986.

This notice is published in the Journal officiel de la République française and the Journal officiel des îles Wallis et Futuna.

The first official radio and television campaign organized in the Wallis and Futuna Islands

These elections for the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna are the first to involve an official audiovisual campaign, in accordance with article L.425 of the Electoral Code, resulting from article 4 of Ordinance no. 2000-350 of April 19, 2000, updating and adapting the law applicable overseas France.
The French Superior Audiovisual Council will have two distinct missions during the campaign. Firstly, it will ensure that the programs of the national broadcaster Réseau France overseas France (RFO) respect plurality. The CSA has issued a notice to RFO, asking it to ensure that the lists of candidates and the personalities supporting them are presented in an equitable manner and have fair access to the airwaves. The French Superior Audiovisual Council will also ensure compliance with the conditions for the production, programming and diffusion of broadcasts of the official radio and television campaign that it has set in application of article 16 of the amended law of September 30, 1986.
The broadcasts of this campaign will be produced by an in mainland production team and shown on RFO in Wallis and Futuna from Wednesday February 27 to Friday March 1 inclusive and from Monday March 4 to Friday March 8 inclusive. A representative of the Council will be present in the territory throughout the campaign to ensure that it runs smoothly.