PRE sues Rui Costa for premature campaigning.
According to the Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office, the PT's pre-candidate for governor of the state "used his position to publish promotional messages" in the newspaper A Tarde, in the section that publicized the awarding of the '2013 Award – Highlights of Agribusiness in Bahia', accompanied by his photograph, "with institutional support from the State"; the first page of the material contains the message "Bahia on the right track," and upon turning the page, the reader encounters a photo of a construction project and another of the pre-candidate; the Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office is suing, in addition to Rui, A Tarde and the State of Bahia, and is requesting a fine of 25 reais for each.
Bahia 247 - The Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office in Bahia (PRE/BA) filed a complaint against the Chief of Staff, Rui Costa, against the State of Bahia, and against the newspaper A Tarde for publishing early election propaganda on a prominent page of the newspaper on December 16, 2013.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the PT's pre-candidate for governor of the state "used his position to publish promotional messages" in the newspaper where he announced the awarding of the '2013 Award – Highlights of Agribusiness in Bahia', accompanied by his photograph, "with institutional support from the State".
The first page of the aforementioned notebook bears the message "Bahia on the right track," and upon turning the page, the reader encounters a photo of a construction project and another of the pre-candidate.
According to the Regional Electoral Prosecutor, José Alfredo Silva, "(...) to psychologically stimulate the consumer, advertising does not need to be explicit, since the most effective ads are not those aimed at conscious consumption, but rather those with an implicit message, designed to take root in the consumer's subconscious."
Furthermore, in an interview presented in the same material, Rui discusses government actions for the agricultural sector with a future perspective. According to the PRE (Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office), with this attitude, he implicitly mentions a political action he could develop if elected, also suggesting a continuation of the current administration.
Due to the newspaper's wide reach, the amount spent on advertising, and the use of public funds to finance the material, the PRE requests that the defendants be ordered to pay a fine as stipulated in Article 36, § 3, of Law No. 9.504/97, in the amount of 25 reais for each of them.
According to article 36 of Law No. 9.504/97, "election campaigning is only permitted after July 5th of the election year".
Advertisements released before this period constitute a violation of the law, as they disseminate, during a prohibited time, the name and image of a potential candidate with the aim of facilitating their acceptance during the election campaign period, in addition to causing a clear disadvantage to other competitors who await the legally authorized election period to begin disseminating their advertisements.
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