municipal councils asserts the obligation of each candidate to the membership of the House of
Representatives and the municipal councils to follow the civilized rules of conduct in his/her
election campaign without detriment to the character of any candidate, or offending him/her,
or raising doubt about his/her competence, directly or indirectly, as well as other organizational
matters. In addition, Decree-Law No. (14) of 1973 on Organization of Advertisements regulated the
advertising process, beginning with the requirement of obtaining the necessary license (permit).
Advertisements should not contravene public security, public decency, or religious beliefs, must
not obstruct traffic, and must be in harmony with the aesthetics of the area.
7.
In practice, at this stage, and in implementation of the law and the decisions related to electoral
propaganda, the Supreme Committee for the General Supervision of the Soundness of Elections
has been observed while displaying through the various mass media, social media, and its online
account, the legal controls and regulations governing the election campaign. In doing so, it called
on the candidates to comply with the rules governing election propaganda, including adherence
to the Constitution, respect the rule of law and freedom of opinion and thought of others, preserve
national unity, security, and stability of the Country, and refrain from stirring up discord or
sectarianism among the citizens, as well as not to violate the electoral silence.
8.
In addition, the efforts made by the competent authorities represented by the Ministry of Works,
Municipal Affairs, and Urban Planning in organizing the electoral propaganda in the various
governorates of the Kingdom, in accordance with the provisions of the law, have been observed.
In the same context, it was observed that a number of candidates did not comply with the controls
regulating electoral advertising by placing their advertisements in a manner that threatens the
safety of individuals, impedes traffic, or damages the green area on the sides of public roads, or the
advertisements were displayed on streets prohibited by law.
9.
On the other hand, the NIHR monitored the intentional destruction of some of the candidates’
advertisements; the NIHR sees this matter as an infringement upon the candidates’ right to promote,
propagate, and express their opinion, which is guaranteed by the Constitution and regulated by the
law. Such conduct also constitutes unfair competition as well as obstruction of the electoral process.
10. The NIHR monitored the initiation of investigation by the Investigation Committee of the Public
Prosecution for electoral crimes, into an incident where a number of persons were arrested when
they destroyed an electoral advertisement of one of the candidates. After the investigation, the
44