University: not specified

Introduction 3

1.Electoral campaign: essence and main stages 4

2. Subjects of elections and stages of the election campaign 7

3.Task 13

Conclusion 14

References 15

Introduction

An election campaign is a complex and multifaceted concept that can be viewed from different angles.

In election technologies, the necessary stages of preparation and decision-making are often completely omitted. For example, a sufficiently complete set of alternatives is almost never created - possible action during the election campaign. Most events are planned based on analogues of other campaigns, as well as the skills, abilities and connections that the planners have.

Just like the very definition of an election campaign, the identification of stages in it implies different content depending on whose position it is viewed from. For example, for a candidate during an election campaign, five stages can be distinguished, differing both in their goals and objectives, and in the style, pace and intensity of work.

The relevance of this topic is that for successful operation political system active participation of citizens in the socio-political life of the country is necessary. In all modern democratic societies the main form political activity citizens is participation in elections.

The purpose of this work is to study the election campaign.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve a number of problems:

• consider the essence of the election campaign, define it in a broad and narrow sense;
• study the main stages of the election campaign;
• identify the subjects of the election campaign.

1. Election campaign: essence and main stages

In the broad sense of the word election campaign- is a set of sustainable ways of interaction between political subjects that ensure the functioning of the electoral system. Also, an election campaign is a period established by law, during which political parties and organizations, as well as government bodies Those responsible for holding elections carry out their organizational preparation in accordance with established rules.

Depending on the time sequence and features of the tasks being solved, the electoral process, or election campaign, is divided into several stages:

1) the preparatory stage, which characterizes the socio-political soil from which elections “grow”, as well as organizational events that make possible to carry out elections;

2) nomination of candidates, ending with their registration;

3) propaganda campaign;

Strictly speaking, only the last three stages directly characterize the electoral process itself. However preparatory stage also provides important influence at all its stages.

Just like the definition itself election campaign, and the identification of stages in it implies different content depending on from whose position it is viewed. For example, for a candidate during an election campaign, five stages can be distinguished, differing both in their goals and objectives, and in the style, pace and intensity of work:

1. Zero stage. At this stage, political consultants negotiate with the candidate and with the customer of the campaign about the campaign budget and fees. The district is selected through joint efforts. It would not be amiss for the candidate to conduct reconnaissance on the ground in advance, organize a sociological study, draw up a district passport, and collect information about the most likely candidates for victory. At this stage, a team is also selected that will work in the elections. A decision is made on the method of registration - by pledge or by signatures.

The stage is characterized by a large degree of uncertainty. The pace of work is low, since the only work at this stage is negotiations. Sociological research As a rule, they are entrusted to external sociologists.

1. Preparatory stage or build-up period. At this stage, a team of political consultants visits the site. It takes a lot of effort to resolve everyday issues and issues of accommodation, renting premises for headquarters and district offices. It is necessary to provide the organizing team headquarters and offices with office equipment, computers, and mobile communications. Recruitment of headquarters workers begins: drivers, peddlers, agitators, etc. The collection of signatures in support of the candidate is organized and his registration takes place. Headquarters employees organize contacts with printing houses, means mass media.

The results of this stage will be an established infrastructure and structure of the headquarters, a work plan for the entire campaign and registration of the candidate. The stage is quite hectic and fussy. It is typical for him large number small unplanned tasks (for example, such as buying bed linen). In addition, there is still no clear division of responsibilities: it is not clear who is responsible for what.

1. Planned work stage. At this stage, the main campaign work is carried out, the production and distribution of printed campaign materials, the placement of materials in the media, holding meetings with voters, etc. This stage is characterized by high intensity of work and a maximum degree of control over the electoral process.
2. The finish line. The most nervous time. The campaign is entering the home stretch. Panic and jitters can engulf both the candidate and the headquarters. The need to quickly respond to changing situations is sharply increasing. The information flow influencing voters is increasing significantly. Even those candidates who were sleeping before wake up. Until the polls open on Sunday morning, there remains a feeling that something more needs to be done, another leaflet distributed or another television appearance.

The stage is characterized by an increased intensity of work and its chaotic nature, a nervous situation at the headquarters.

1. Reporting stage. The results are already known, everything that was planned has been done. The next few days after the votes are counted will be spent writing reports (including a financial report to the election commission). At this stage, it is also a good idea to analyze errors in the strategy and tactics of the election campaign.[ 2; With. 342-343]

Also, do not forget about the definition of an election campaign in a narrow sense. In this case, the election campaign is a system of campaigning events carried out political parties and independent candidates in order to ensure maximum voter support in the upcoming elections.

2. Subjects of elections and stages of the election campaign

Let's look at the main stages of the election campaign in more detail.
1. Calling elections

The purpose of the procedure for calling elections is to establish the voting day.

Elections of deputies State Duma appointed by the President.

Elections of the President of the Russian Federation are appointed by the Federation Council.

Regional elections are scheduled legislative body state power subject of the Federation.

Municipal elections are called by the representative body local government.

The general rule for all levels and types of elections is to schedule them only on a day off - Sunday.

2. Voter registration

This procedure may be mandatory or voluntary. In the first case, the relevant services include in the lists of all those who have the right to vote. In the second case, inclusion in the voter list is carried out on the initiative of the citizen himself.

3. Formation of electoral districts and precincts

An electoral district is a territorial unit formed in accordance with a certain norm of representation for the conduct of elections of government institutions.

Types of electoral districts:

• single-member constituency from which one deputy is elected;
• a multi-member constituency from which several deputies are elected;
• a single constituency that includes the entire territory in which elections are held.

When constituencies are formed, a uniform standard of representation must be observed.

Polling station - a territorial unit within the boundaries of an electoral district, formed for the purpose of voting and counting votes.

4. Nomination and registration of candidates

Within its framework, a circle of people is formed from among whom presidents, deputies, governors, etc. will be elected.

Methods for nominating candidates:

• self-nomination, which usually requires the support of signatures of a certain number of voters;
• nomination by a group of voters;
• nomination by political parties, which may involve the nomination of both individual candidates and their lists.

One of necessary conditions registration of a candidate may involve collecting signatures in support of his nomination.

An electoral deposit is a sum of money paid at the stage of nominating candidates as a condition for their registration, which is returned if the candidate receives the established minimum votes (in percentage).

5. Election struggle

At this stage of the election campaign, candidates for elected positions enter into intense competition.

A special place among these activities is occupied by the development of election campaign strategy and tactics.

In order to make good use of the collected funds, you need to have a well-thought-out strategy and tactics.

Election campaigning is carried out within a certain chronological framework and can begin a number of days specified by law before the voting date, from the day of registration of candidates.

Election financing includes expenses associated with the preparation and conduct of elections.

• the sociological model focuses on the factor social differentiation;
• in accordance with the sociopsychological model, electoral choice is determined by the party identification of voters;
• the political-communication model is based on highlighting as a determining factor such as the impact of the election campaign itself on the electoral choice of citizens;
• model rational choice is based on the assumption that an individual’s electoral behavior is determined by his desire to achieve his own goals.

1. Determination of election results

The election campaign ends with the counting of votes and determination of the election results.

The recognition of elections as valid or invalid depends, first of all, on the number of people who took part in the elections.

The subjects of the election campaign are:

- candidates to government bodies, which can be nominated by various socio-political forces in accordance with electoral legislation. IN Russian Federation the right to nominate candidates is granted to political parties and movements, and in other electoral events; public organizations, groups of voters who have collected a certain number of signatures in support of a candidate or party list.

Candidates for government positions directly or through assistants create their own team. As a rule, it includes the following election campaign participants.

- trusted persons, whose main function is to expand the representative capabilities of the candidate in the electoral environment, meeting with voters, speaking on behalf of the candidate.

- candidate support group, whose task is to create the necessary socio-psychological mood during meetings of voters with candidates, during debates between candidates and in other election events;

- agitators - special group team members who have collected a certain number of signatures in support and must make the candidate’s election program and image accessible to voters;

- team members communicating with the media. Candidates' legally mandated access to the media may vary in effectiveness depending on the expertise of those team members.

The team of candidates can, with a certain degree of convention, include sponsors who provide material support to candidates in the hope of realizing their interests through them. It may also include representatives of parties, movements and private individuals - volunteers supporting the candidate. A very important part of the candidate’s team is the socio-political support group, whose functions are to obtain the objective information necessary for the candidate. The practice of election campaigns shows that without efficient work commands, as a rule, in front of everyone favorable conditions the candidate's claims to victory are unrealistic. The decisive participant in the elections are voters - people living in the territory of the electoral district and having the right to vote. The outcome of the campaign depends on their choice. Let us consider in more detail the actions of the subjects of the election campaign at each stage (Table 1).

Table 1. Actions of subjects at the stages of the election campaign

And finally, the holding of elections is ensured by government agencies - election commissions, authorities, courts, whose role is to create the organizational and legal infrastructure of the election campaign: compliance with the rule of law and organization of registration of candidates, “cutting” electoral districts and polling stations, notifying voters about ongoing elections, organization of elections, monitoring compliance legal norms during elections, summing up their results, as well as notifying voters of the election results.

Considering participation in elections from the position of a candidate, we can highlight a number of specific steps taken by him and his team that make up the election campaign procedure (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Candidate's election campaign procedure

3.Task

Let’s assume that following the results of the elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the following situation has developed. 4% of voters who took part in the voting voted for party A (list of candidates nominated by the party), 5% for party B, 77% for party C, 1% for party D, and 6% for party N. Show which games from this list will be allowed to distribute mandates, and explain why.

Parties B, C and N will be allowed to distribute mandates, since in accordance with paragraph 7 of Article 88 Federal Law dated 02.22.2014 N 20-FZ "On the election of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation" federal lists of candidates are allowed to distribute deputy mandates, each of which received 5 or more percent of the votes of voters who took part in voting in the federal electoral district, provided that there were at least two such lists and that in total more than 50 percent of the votes of voters who took part in the voting were cast for these lists. In this case, other federal lists of candidates are not allowed to distribute deputy mandates.

Conclusion

Thus, this work examined the main stages of the election campaign, which, regardless of the type of election, are similar.

After the announcement of the elections, candidates are nominated; this period ends with the registration of candidates by the election commission. This is followed by a period of pre-election struggle, which ends with voting. Voting can be carried out in one or several rounds. After the vote, there begins a period of summing up the election results and the inclusion of the elected representative in active activities within the government body.

To sum up, it is worth noting the significance of the elections as a whole. Elections are a democratic in nature and essence way of forming state bodies and local self-government bodies, in which the people themselves or their representatives have the opportunity to decide the question of who to put in power and who to remove from it through an established voting procedure and selection of appropriate persons from two or more candidates.

The exercise by citizens of their right to choose is one of the most important forms their participation in government.

List of used literature

1. Zaburdaeva E.V. Political campaign: strategies and technologies // E. V. Zaburdaeva: Tutorial- M.: Aspect Press, 2012.
2. Zinoviev A . IN. Guarantees of freedom of elections of representative government bodies in Russia // State And right. M., 2012 . N 1. pp. 15-23
3. Maltsev V. A.. Reference manual for the course "Constitutional (state) law foreign countries": Textbook for correspondence students. Voronezh: Voronezh Publishing House state university. - 328 p., 2011.
4. Pugachev V.P. Introduction to political science / Pugachev V.P., Solovyov A.I. Textbook, 3rd ed., 2010. - 392 p.
5. Sukharev A. Ya. Large legal dictionary. - M.: Infra-M. A. Ya. Sukharev, V. E. Krutskikh, A. Ya. Sukhareva. 2013.

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Since presidential elections will take place in 2018, many are interested in when the election campaign President of the Russian Federation. Recently, the Central Election Committee announced the dates and start of the election race, although how this will happen remains unknown, but first things first.

The presidential elections are the main event in the Russian Federation in 2018. Everyone is looking forward to this event, which is scheduled for March 18th. Initially, the elections were supposed to take place on March 11, but due to the fact that March 8 is a day off, they were postponed by a week. As this date approaches, everything more people They are interested in the fact that the election race will begin and how it will proceed.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the election race begins 90-100 days before election day. In this regard, the start of the 2018 presidential election campaign of the Russian Federation will take place from December 7 to December 17, 2017. By this time, lists of candidates will be drawn up, and the population will know exactly who will run for president. Despite the fact that before presidential elections There is very little left, it is still unknown who will claim the post of head of state. Although research by the Levada Center company shows that the majority of the population is ready to vote for the current president, and about a third of people do not even plan to go to the polls.

How will the presidential election campaign in the Russian Federation take place in 2018?

An election campaign is a set of activities aimed at agitating the population. Typically, as part of an election race, candidates and their teams use the following campaigning methods and carry out the following activities:

1. Use print media for propaganda. Candidates' promises are often published in local or regional publications. printed publications, and often the topics of newspapers and magazines have nothing to do with politics.
2. The videos are broadcast on TV. All voters are familiar with the political advertisements that flash on television screens in the run-up to elections. Each candidate has his own promotional video, which best reflects the essence of his election campaign.
3. Distribution of propaganda print advertising. Quite a lot financial resources many candidates spend on various flyers, calendars, posters and so on. Most often, they are distributed by agitators in crowded places - near the metro, near bazaars, in large shopping centers and so on.
4. Conduct meetings with voters. This method of campaigning is considered one of the most effective, although meetings require a lot of time from candidates, and they do not always bring the desired result.

Also, as part of the election campaign, candidates can provide assistance to certain categories of the population or enterprises, participate in important events and in other ways try to attract the attention of voters. In 2018, the election race will most likely be held using methods and methods known to everyone. Although political scientists predict that it will be difficult for candidates to attract the attention of the population and gain votes, since lately interest in politics has noticeably faded.

What will Vladimir Putin's election campaign be like?

The current president has officially announced his participation in the 2018 elections! In response to a direct question from the audience at a meeting with employees of the GAZ plant, Putin said that he would run for the post of head of state again because he felt strong support from the people.

Most of the population is confident that Vladimir Vladimirovich will remain as President of the Russian Federation for another term. This is not prohibited by law, and the chances of the current president winning the election are really high. According to surveys, about 63% of the population are ready to vote for the current head.

Recently it was reported in the media that election campaign Putin will include a revision of the federal and regional budgets. At the same time, Presidential Secretary Peskov said that no election campaign is being conducted, everyone is working as usual. It is possible that Putin’s election race will follow old scenarios. To get votes, Vladimir Vladimirovich will not have to work hard. Over the past 2 years, its rating has increased significantly. The main mystery of who will become the next president remains unsolved.

How will the election campaign of other presidential candidates proceed in 2018?

Despite the approaching election date, future presidential candidates are in no hurry to share their election campaign plans. Although voters will see many familiar faces, which means they won’t have to expect anything new. Thus, at the end of December 2017, the following officially announced their participation in the upcoming elections:

Withdrew their candidacy:

1. Oleg Bularev;
2. Irina Gagite;

The following applicants were denied registration:

1. Alexey Navalny;
2. Sergei Polonsky;
3. Tatiana Volovik;
4. Irina Volynets;
5. Aina Gamzatova;
6. Marina Kopenkina;
7. Vladimir Kuznetsov;
8. Lucky Lee;
9. Oleg Lurie;
10. Tristan Prisyagin;
11. Vasily Pugachev;
12. Sirazhdin Ramazanov;
13. Elena Semerikova;
14. Yuri Sidorov;
15. Sergey Stolpak;
16. Victor Cherepnin;
17. Andrey Yatsun.

Zhirinovsky stated that in once again plans to run for the post of head of state. The lists of candidates will also be supplemented by Grigory Yavlinsky from the Yabloko party, who is also well known to the population. The Russian presidential election campaign in 2018 for these candidates is unlikely to change from previous elections.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny can offer non-standard approaches to campaigning, but due to his conviction, he is unlikely to be allowed to participate in the elections. His election campaign about equality of social classes interested many. Voters shouldn’t count on anything new, although only time will tell how the election race will go in 2018.

Results of the Russian Presidential elections in 2018

Unlike previous years, Vladimir Putin's election campaign was not as active. He did not take part in talk shows and debates, did not organize rallies or other high-profile events. But this does not mean that there was no campaign. The team of professionals worked actively in a variety of directions. According to the Central Election Commission, the size of the pre-election fund current head RF is more than 400 million rubles.

Putin's 2018 campaign included:

1. development of a campaign website;
2. distribution of printed propaganda literature;
3. informing the population about the government's achievements.

1. growth of the Russian economy;
2. introduction of innovations in the economic sector;
3. development of medicine, education and science;
4. improving infrastructure;
5. growth in the well-being of Russians.

Regardless of how the campaign was organized, it turned out to be quite effective. Voters gave 76.67% of the votes for the “guarantor of stability,” which provided V. Putin with a clear victory already in the first round of the presidential race. The complete picture of the distribution of votes is as follows:

We invite you to listen to what Vladimir Putin said when he addressed the people for the first time after the preliminary election results were announced:

), specialists from the USA gave lectures, excerpts from which we present:

There can be two approaches to organizing an election campaign.

One of them - let it be as it happens, as it turns out. Of course, we will do something, but mainly based on how things turn out.

This is conducting a campaign without a concept, without a strategy, a way of reacting primarily to the actions of rivals and, partly, voters. This is the path of delayed action and given initiative.

Another option - path strategic planning, attacking, leading and success oriented.

What does the right candidate want to achieve from the campaign? Win!

How to achieve this? Receive 50% of the popular vote plus one vote. This is the minimum. But in order to sleep peacefully on the eve of the elections, you must be sure that 52% of voters will give you their votes. I emphasize, not 100%, but precisely 52%. Moreover, 52% are not residents of your district who have the right to vote, but 52% of those who come to vote.

In order to convince these 52% to take this action, you first need to get to know them, first in absentia - gender, age, financial situation, profession, education, ethnicity, religion, etc. Because you have to work for your target audience, not for all voters. And in order to determine your target audience, you will have to study all the voters in your district.

If you don't work with your target audience, it is likely that only a few days may not be enough for you to win. Your campaign schedule will be calculated incorrectly. Your strategy will be wrong.

<........>

An election campaign is fundamentally different from a propaganda campaign. It is aimed at inducing voters to commit specific action- on Sunday, take your passport, go to the ballot and put a tick in a specific box. And put the ballot in the ballot box. That's it.

A propaganda campaign is aimed at educating or changing one or another point of view among voters; it is a training and educational campaign. The strategies for these campaigns will be fundamentally different. Of course, the election campaign can, as a quality side effect give some kind of raise general level voters, but training and education of voters should in no case be its primary goal. But the educational, educational, propaganda campaign is designed to expand voters' understanding of certain issues - this is, firstly, and secondly, to fundamentally, radically change the point of view on some issue.

How are decisions made during the campaign process?

With a properly organized campaign with its own strategy, concept, plan, we know what results we must achieve at each stage of the campaign and take consistent and meaningful actions. At the same time, we try to lead, determine the dynamics and development of the campaign, and encourage our opponents to respond to our moves. But sometimes, when the campaign is poorly prepared, the candidate forgets that he has rivals and every leaflet of his rivals that appears, their speech makes him suffer and he immediately tries to respond.

The campaign manager's job is to constantly check his operational decisions against the strategy to ensure that the decisions he makes are necessary for the day-to-day operational execution of the campaign without deviating from the strategic goals. It is very easy to move from side to side, to make decisions that provide short-term benefits, instant satisfaction, but at the same time are associated with deviations from the campaign strategy. During the campaign, you need to react not to your opponents, but to your voters.

About the role of the apparatus

Very useful tool- a written description of the functions of the device. So that there is clarity, so that there are no conflicts.

Manager (pro or semi-pro)
- person in charge of press relations
- theoretical researcher, decision maker, idea generator, analyst
- corps of volunteer assistants (with a description of their responsibilities)
- coordinator of the corps of volunteer assistants
- responsible for the schedule of meetings, events of the Candidate and his assistants
- responsible for mailing
- responsible for campaign financing

Description job responsibilities must be in writing. It must be done at the very beginning, so that later changes and additions can be made.

How to develop a strategy?

Of course, the campaign designer must know a lot about the candidate himself. It seems that this is elementary, but in fact, voters are primarily concerned with the question, what kind of person is he? And only then how professional is he as a politician. Of course, you need to know a lot about the voters themselves. A study of voting history can provide a lot here. Of course, all this is the past, these are archives, it was a long time ago and now it seems that it does not matter. But by projecting this data into the future, you can get an idea of ​​what kind of candidate they are willing to go to the trouble of.

Of course, it is necessary to evaluate the candidate’s financial, organizational, informational, administrative and other resources. And do the same in relation to your main rivals. Very often you can sit down and predict quite accurately what kind of campaign the other side will run. Moreover, if we do not know this directly, we know from a number of other signs, other non-specific manifestations, what his reaction will be to certain questions and situations.

What does an election campaign strategy include?

1. Determination of affiliation
...I am one of you, one of the non-partisans, one of the Republicans

2. Contrast yourself with your opponent, differentiate yourself
... and this must be done not in your thoughts, but in the eyes of voters, so that they know: this is OUR candidate, and that one is THEIR candidate. Moreover, you need to contrast not yourself, but your image: here I am, and he is that... You need to create an image of an opponent, and the image is not the best, and do it ahead of the curve.

3. Oppose yourself to the enemy ideologically
... if the candidate is a conservative, he says: I am a conservative and people who consider themselves conservatives will support me. But it is important that both the candidate and the voters, when speaking about themselves as conservatives, mean the same content of this word.

4. Focus voters' attention on one issue and make it dominant in the election campaign.

5. Create a positive image of the candidate
... people need to understand not only why they are voting against my opponent, but also why they are voting for me.
The first question a voter asks himself is: Why should I vote for this guy?
Second question: Why is it bad? What are its shortcomings?

6. Creating a negative image of your opponent.
... that you are a good family man, smart, etc. - few.

7. Creating flexible coalitions
... it is necessary to try to ensure the cooperation of groups and organizations that do not usually interact.

8. For a candidate to win, to win new and retain old votes, such a quality as omnipresence is necessary.

The success of work in each area is determined by only one person - the candidate.

He forms a headquarters, meets with voters and empathizes with them, inspires agitators, negotiates with potential supporters, and debates with rivals. Ultimately, it is the candidate who wins or loses a campaign. Not his headquarters, not his agitators, not his journalists, not his sponsors. Candidate only.

Introduction

Americans have this joke: election campaign should not begin until the finals of the national baseball championship are over. As with every joke, there is a large grain of truth in this one. You cannot hold two mass entertainment events at the same time: one of them (and in this case it is not yet known which) will suffer. But if baseball were the only, or at least one of the few, circumstances that should be taken into account when holding elections, especially when forming the country's electoral system!

Election campaign and its main stages

An election campaign in a formal sense is understood as a period established by law during which political parties and organizations, as well as government bodies responsible for holding elections, carry out organizational, propaganda and ideological and information preparation in accordance with the established rules. This also includes a complex of organizational, propaganda and other activities carried out by individual parties and candidates. In such cases, they talk about the election campaign of one or another party, one or another candidate.

Stage 1: Calling elections - this is an establishment for voting, enshrined in the constitution of the country or determined by a special legislative act.

The organization and conduct of election campaigns in different countries is carried out differently. Depending on the traditions established in the country, the head of state or government, or parliament, appoints official date elections. From this day on, the election campaign begins, during which each party nominates its candidates or a list of candidates who must undergo appropriate registration.

Stage 2: Nomination of candidates - this is the formation of a circle of people from among whom deputies will be elected (councillors, governors, judges, presidents).

There are various ways nomination of candidates:

• - nomination by a group of voters;
• - nomination by political parties;
• - self-nomination (usually requires the support of signatures of a certain number of voters).

In some countries, nomination of a candidate requires the payment of an electoral deposit (a specified amount of money returned if the candidate receives a specified percentage of the vote). In other countries, a dilemma is provided: either collecting signatures in support of a candidate (list of candidates) or paying an electoral deposit.

Stage 3: Election struggle - this is a set of actions taken by candidates (political parties) to achieve victory in elections and their other election goals (attracting attention, strengthening fame, increasing prestige).

The election campaign involves the creation of an election campaign headquarters, the development of its strategy and tactics, and the accumulation of resources. The strategy of an election campaign is its substantive part, and the tactics of an election campaign is its technical side.

At the first stage - the stage of primary elections - the struggle takes place between candidates for nomination within parties. This stage ends with national party congresses. Currently, conventions nominate and approve official party candidates for the positions of president and vice president of the country, as well as formulate and adopt their election platforms. After the convention, the election campaign enters a new phase (the second stage) and ends with the election of the president, vice president and other elected officials.

As a rule, in most countries, election campaigning ends one day before the opening of polling stations. This is done to give voters the time and opportunity to think about and fully weigh their choices. The term of office of elected officials is limited to a certain period strictly fixed in the constitution, usually from two to six years, depending on the country and position.

To win elections, it is necessary to use political marketing (studying public demands, expectations); For this purpose, political technologists are involved, including image makers to create the optimal image of the candidate.

Financing of the election campaign of a candidate (party) is carried out both from legal sources (membership fees, income from the party’s publishing activities, government funding, voluntary donations) and from illegal sources ( commercial activity parties, financial assistance from abroad, exceeding the permissible limits of donations from citizens and legal entities).

The state strives to minimize the use of illegal funding and ensure equal opportunities for all candidates. For this purpose, in most countries it is used legislative regulation financial parameters of the election campaign. It includes:

• - limiting election expenses;
• - narrowing the number of sources of financing;
• - government funding in the form of subsidies or compensation for election expenses;
• - careful accounting of the funds used and transparency of funding sources.
• 4 stage: Voting - the culminating stage of the election campaign, the direct expression of the will of citizens. The electoral choice of citizens is motivated various factors- social (belonging to a certain class, ethnic group, territory, confession), psychological (proximity, sympathy for a certain party, leader), rational (compliance of the candidate and his program with the expectations of the voter), etc. In many countries there is currently a decrease in electoral activity citizens, absenteeism is the evasion of citizens from participating in elections.
• 5 stage: Determination of results elections are the final stage of the election campaign. Election results are determined by election commissions. If fewer voters took part in the elections than provided for by law (“voter turnout threshold”), the election company declares the elections invalid. In this case, repeat elections are called. The procedure for determining the election results is to count the votes cast for each candidate. (Falsification of voting results can turn elections into shams).

Please note that not all candidates entering pre-election fight, focus on winning. Some of them view the election campaign as an opportunity to attract attention, undergo preliminary “promotion” in order to participate in the next elections, or are simply trying to attract some of the votes. strong opponents any candidate, etc.

The campaign is one of the stages of the election process and involves the official registration and nomination of candidates (contenders), their election campaign, aimed at familiarizing voters with their platforms and programs, personality. Based on all of the above, the population makes a choice.

The election campaign begins after the election date has been set, election districts have been formed, commissions have been created, and the list of participating voters has been clarified. The subsequent stages include the voting process itself, the counting of all votes, and the determination of the results. The totality of all stages of the election process is called. Moreover, each stage is quite strictly regulated by the relevant legislation.

Pre-election stage involves competing candidates competing for votes by explaining the merits of their programs. For these purposes, the media are used, meetings are held with voters, and other election campaign technologies are used.

Average duration pre-election stage from three weeks to a month. However, in some states this stage continues longer. The start date of the pre-election stage depends on the date of voting (election day). In some cases, it is determined by law once and for all; in others, the voting date is set by parliament or the election campaign, as a rule, ends one day before election day.

In the legislation of most states, the nomination of applicants occurs on the principle of free nomination. There are minimal formal requirements for the process. Thus, in the case of independent nomination, the candidate must be supported by a large number of voters in the district (no more than 30); if a group of voters nominates a candidate, then its number should be several hundred people, etc.

According to general rule, the election law does not interfere with relations within parties.

Many states accept a campaign deposit as a condition of registering an applicant. If a candidate fails to collect a certain minimum number of votes required by law, the deposit will not be returned. It should be noted that usually the amount is relatively small.

The alternative nature of elections is intended to ensure freedom in nominating candidates. To some extent this goal is achieved. However, in general, the nomination of candidates is a monopolized process. This is evidenced by the very small number of self-nominated candidates (independent candidates) in the parliaments of many states.

Unlike the registration and nomination process, it is a process subject to more severe legislative restrictions. The election campaign at this stage is regulated in order to prevent pressure on voters, bribery, misleading, etc. In addition, in this way all applicants are placed on equal terms of competition. Along with this “equality,” neutrality (non-interference by officials and the state apparatus in the course of the struggle) and loyalty (the applicant and his team should not use rumors and other falsifications that defame opponents) are considered integral rules for campaigning. The election campaign strategy presupposes the voter's right to check the fact of his inclusion in the voting lists and to go to court in case of violation of his rights.

It should be noted that the shortcomings of pre-election “races” are often the result of insufficient perfection of election legislation. There are abuses in the nomination process during collection required quantity signatures; in addition, the voter cannot always obtain a sufficient amount of information on the composition of party lists and other things.