Image
Presidential election 2022: speaking time rules for the inter-tournament period
Translations are provided as a service to Arcom users and are supplied “as is”, throught the DeepL tool. Consequently, only the text of the original version is authentic.
Please note that not all the files have been translated.
The two leading candidates are subject to equal speaking time as of Monday April 11.
As no candidate received an absolute majority of the votes cast in the first round of voting, a second round will be held on Sunday, April 24.
The audiovisual media, radio and television, must respect the principle of equal speaking and airtime for the two finalist candidates.
The results of the first round of the 2022 presidential election
On Wednesday, April 13, the Constitutional Council made public the official results of the first round of the 2022 presidential election.
Among the twelve contenders for the Presidency of the Republic, the two candidates who came top, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, remain in the running for the second round.
Strict equality of airtime and speaking time
In accordance with the law, audiovisuel communication services are required to ensure strict equalityof speaking and airtime for candidates and their supporters between April 11 and 22 inclusive.
Counting the speaking time of the president-candidate
As regards the President of the Republic who is standing for re-election, his speaking time is counted when it comes to political debate, and not when it comes to the prerogatives attached to his office. The President's speeches relating to the presidency of the European Union are not taken into account, with the exception of those likely to fall within the scope of political debate.
Equal speaking time under comparable programming conditions
Television and radio services must respect the equality of speaking time and airtime under comparable programming conditions. Arcom understands comparable programming conditions to mean the presentation and on-air access of candidates and their supporters, under the conditions set out in 2° and 3° of its notice of October 6, 2021, within each of the following time slots:
Morning segment : 6am-9am
Daytime segment : 9am-6pm
Evening segment : 18h-24h
Night segment : 0h-6h
Airtime and speaking time records
Statements of speaking and airtime are verified by Arcom, which publishes them online.
For the second round of voting, Arcom's notice to audiovisuel communication services for the election of the President of the Republic establishes the transmission of speaking and airtime on the following dates:
| Reporting period | Transmission dates | |
|---|---|---|
|
Second round Speaking time + airtime airtime |
April 11 to 17 | April 18th |
|
|
April 11 to 22 | Every day |
Click on a candidate's name to access the candidate's airtime and speaking times on all services.
The "reserve period", the day before and on polling day
A "reserve period" must be observed on the eve and day of the vote: Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24.
In accordance witharticle L. 49-2 of the French Electoral Code, it is forbidden to show any message that could be construed as election propaganda.
Pursuant to Article L. 52-2 of the French Electoral Code,no results may be published before the last polling station has shutdown at 8pm in mainland France.
No election poll may be published, broadcast or commented on. This ban ends at the shutdown of the last polling station in mainland France.
During the "reserve period", TV channels and radio stations may show documentaries on the voting of candidates and the personalities who support them, withoutgiving them the floor.
These schemes also apply to Internet media. Programs put online before this date on the websites of TV channels and radio stations, or via an audiovisual medium on demand,remain accessible to the public.
The between-the-table debate
In the run-up to the second round of the presidential election, a televised debate between the two remaining candidates has traditionally been held since 1974.
For the 2022 election, this debate is scheduled for Wednesday April 20 at 9pm. It will be broadcast on the channels TF1 and France 2, which are organizing it. The opening and closing speeches will be determined by drawing lots before the broadcast, in the presence of the two candidates' teams. In 2017, the face-off lasted around 2h30 and attracted 16.5 million viewers.
The conditions of production and realization are summarized on the Vie publique website.
Fight agains information manipulation
Measures taken by online platforms
The major content-sharing platforms have acquired a major role in democratic processes. It is now essential that they demonstrate transparency in the measures they take to fight agains information manipulation phenomena, particularly during major electoral events.
Arcom's mission is to contribute to the fight agains information manipulation. To this end, it has drawn up a list of the means put in place by platforms in the run-up to the 2022 French presidential and legislative elections.
Controlling the election campaign
The mission of the Commission nationale de contrôle de la campagne électorale en vue de l'élection présidentielle (CNCCEP) is to ensure, in a general way, that candidates benefit from the same facilities from the State for the electoral campaign.
Control of campaign accounts
The Commission nationale des comptes de campagne et des financements politiques (CNCCFP - National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing) audits the campaign accounts of presidential candidates.
On the same subject
Presidential election 2022: how Arcom is strengthening campaign accessibility
07 March 2022
On Wednesday March 2, the French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication, Arcom, laid down the rules for the production, programming and diffusion of programs for the 2022 presidential election campaign.
Presidential 2022: Arcom's role in the election campaign
28 March 2022
For TV channels and radio stations, March 28 marks the start of the official election campaign and the application of the rule of equal speaking and airtime.
Presidential election 2022 : Arcom's role
30 December 2021
The French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication, Arcom, is responsible for ensuring that radio and television stations abide by the provisions of the French law of September 30, 1986, in particular those relating to political plurality.