Websites and social networks of public agencies and institutions must undergo adaptations during the election period
June 30, 2022
11:06
Eliziane Paiva – from Amazon Agency
MANAUS – Public bodies, institutes and federal universities have already started to disseminate a series of messages with recommendations and deadlines on how institutions should use their means of communication during the election period, which begins on July 2 and ends on October 2 (first round).
The deadline may extend until October 30th, if a second round of voting takes place. During this period, changes in communication are adjusted to meet the requirements of the electoral legislation. In this phase, when attention to publicity is intensified, any act that affects equal opportunity between candidates in the electoral elections must be avoided.
In a statement, the Health Surveillance Foundation of the State of Amazonas (FVS-AM) published that communications in their social networks will be suspended from this Saturday, 2.
“Due to the election period, from 2/6/2022 until the end of the elections, there will be the temporary deactivation of the social networks of the Health Surveillance Foundation of Amazonas – Drª Rosemary Costa Pinto (FVS-RCP)”, the statement also said that “the essential public service information of FVS-RCP can be accessed through the official website”, completed.
Federal universities
The communication of federal universities and institutes will also follow the norm. The Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam) is making, in its web page, the dissemination of a series of cards with messages warning about the prohibition of materials that, supposedly, can promote political campaigns.
In the normative instruction, public agents, public servants or not, are forbidden to behave in a way that affects the equality of opportunities among candidates in the electoral elections. In addition, the publicity of the acts, programs, works, services and campaigns of public bodies must be of an educational, informative or socially oriented nature.
Also according to the rules, as of July 2, it is forbidden to include names, symbols, images or content characterized as personal promotion of authorities or public servants, even if the content is dated before the beginning of the period of electoral restrictions.
The rector and professor at Ufam, Sylvio Puga, acknowledged the importance of the rules to be followed in an election year.
“It is an opportunity for us to think about the institution and the conduct it should adopt throughout the election period. In all aspects, we try to be up to date on how we can exercise our social role with our community, and this is an example”, Puga pointed out.
For retired professor and treasurer of the board of directors of the Association of Teachers of Ufam (Adua), Antonio José Vale da Costa, the guidelines serve to avoid campaigns in institutions.
“I think it is an orientation that should always exist in election periods so that there is no ethical deviation of institutional propaganda camouflaged as electoral propaganda”, said the professor.
Regulation
The Law No. 9.504, 1997, which establishes the rules for elections, among other issues, provides on the conduct prohibited to public officials during elections. One of the vetoes deals with institutional publicity.
According to the law (in article 73, item VI, paragraph b), public officials are forbidden, in the three months preceding the election (except for the advertising of products and services that have competition in the market), to authorize institutional advertising of the acts, programs, works, services and campaigns of federal, state or municipal public agencies, or of the respective indirect administration entities, except in cases of grave and urgent public need, as recognized by the electoral courts.
In addition to the law, the Office of the General Counsel for the Federal Government (AGU) includes, in the primer “Conduct Prohibited to Federal Public Officials in Elections 2022”, guidelines on the activities of federal government agencies and public officials during the election period.
Access also the Superior Electoral Court’s Resolution no. 23.674/2021.
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