The election campaign for the presidential elections of May 2025 takes place between April 4, 00:00 – May 3, 7:00.
What rules must be followed during the photo election campaign: Archive
The political actors participating in the elections have the obligation to accompany all the advertising political materials, except for those of an exclusively audio nature of the type of a text published in the online environment, of a label that will be permanently visible at the top of the visual frame or the image. This will include: the unique identification code of the financial agent, the mention that it is a political advertising material, the name and e-mail address, as well as the candidate's postal address, etc., according to the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 1/2025 or the Decision of the Permanent Electoral Authority no. 9/2025.
During the election campaign, in order for a material to be considered a political advertising material, it must, at the same time, meet the following conditions:
– be prepared, edited, processed, placed, promoted, published, distributed and/or broadcast on April 4, 2025-3 May 2025;
– be a written, printed, audio, video or image, regardless of the dissemination environment;
– to urge the voters directly or indirectly to choose or not to choose, to vote or not to vote an independent candidate or a candidate of a political party, a political alliance, organizations of citizens belonging to national minorities or an electoral alliance, clearly identified, according to GD no. 11/2025.
Regardless of the means of distribution, including through radio and television programs, as well as of the audiovisual media services, during the election campaign for the presidentials of 2025, the political advertising materials distributed by the political actors must contain the following information:
– an indication regarding the fact that it represents a political advertising material;
-the unique identification code of the financial agent registered with the Permanent Electoral Authority;
-the political capacity or the political formation at the request to which or on whose behalf it is prepared, placed, promoted, published, distributed or broadcast the political advertising material, respectively the name and e-mail address, as well as the candidate's postal address, when it is publicly disclosed by him, or the address of the headquarters, in the case of political formations;
– a mention that the political advertising material has been the subject of techniques for targeting a target public or distributing the advertising materials, within the meaning of art. 3 point 11 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/900 of the Parliament and Council of 13 March 2024;
– a mention that the amounts spent for the preparation, placement, promotion, publication, distribution or dissemination of political advertising material come exclusively from the sources allowed by Law no. 334/2006;
– as the case may be, a mention that the political advertising material was the subject of an electoral promotion or an electoral promotion, according to the AEP Decision no. 9/2025.
These provisions also apply for any promotion, distribution, posting or editing of political advertising materials by political actors. The violation of these provisions constitutes contraventions, if the facts have not been committed in such conditions that they are considered, according to the criminal law, offenses.
Within each political advertising material, with the exception of exclusively audio or exclusive nature of a text published in the online environment, the above information is grouped into a label that will be permanently visible at the top of the visual frame or the image and will be arranged so as to form a band with the size of 10% of the visual frame or of the upper frame.
In the case of political advertising materials such as text messages published in the online environment without graphic elements, the above information will be indicated in the form of text, visibly and legible, within the material. If the functionalities and characteristics of the message publication environment do not allow the publication of all the information provided in art. 2 of the AEP Decision no. 9/2025 in the material, it will be legibly indicated, in its contents, only the text “political advertising”, followed by the other information mentioned above.
What types of political materials can be used during the campaign
The communications that are included within the limits of the journalistic activity of information of the public, as well as the public opinions expressed in personal names by persons other than the political actors constitute political advertising materials, the Decision of the AEP no. 9/2025.
Electoral competitors can use during the election campaign only the following types of political advertising/electoral propaganda materials: electoral posters with at most 500 mm one side and 300 mm the other side, and the one by which an electoral reunion is convened – 400 mm one side and 250 mm the other side; Political advertising materials/audio or video electoral propaganda, broadcast by free or cost-a-cost audiovisual media; advertising in the written press; Political advertising materials/online electoral propaganda materials; brochures, leaflets and other materials printed in the same category.
What actions cannot be financed in the election campaign
In the election campaign, political actions and advertising materials/electoral propaganda that involve: the use of inscribed or chilled with campaign slogans, images of the candidates, as well as with any other references to the electoral competitors, cannot be financed; the use of vehicles that broadcast audio materials, in walking or stationary; shows, celebrations, fireworks, etc.; banners, mesh, advertising tents, advertising pavilions, mobile advertising panels, advertising flags, heels, advertising screens, directional advertising, self-supporting advertising structures, advertising means, special advertising projects, light advertising.
Electoral competitors cannot produce political advertising/electoral propaganda materials.
Who deals with the settlement of complaints
The resolution of complaints regarding the election campaign through very large online platforms, including those formulated in Preziua and Voting Day, is the exclusive competence of the Central Electoral Bureau. Very large online platforms and search engines are those with over 45 million users in the EU. They must comply with the strictest rules of DSA (Digital Services Act).
The decisions of the Central Electoral Bureau by which the complaints regarding the election campaign are admitted can be challenged at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, within 48 hours from their display on the website of the Central Electoral Bureau. BEC communicates its decisions to the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP), which, in turn, sends them to very large online platforms. And they have the obligation to eliminate the advertising material in question within 5 hours from the notification received from the AEP, under the sanction of a fine between 1% and 5% of the turnover of the online platform.
Complaints regarding the actions of promotion, distribution or posting of political advertising materials, by means or techniques for manipulative purposes, such as the use of false accounts created in the online environment, developing networks of automated accounts, partially automated or unauthorized, simulating interactions, coordinating the creation and/or promoting an unauthorized content. Politically or an independent entity, it is solved by decisions of the electoral bureaus, as a relevant authority.
