The Central Electoral Commission has developed the updated version for the year 2026 of the "Guidelines on Preventing and Combating the Use of Administrative Resources in Electoral Processes." The document provides explanations and practical examples for delineating institutional activities from electoral ones and ensuring equal opportunities among electoral competitors.

The guide is intended for electoral bodies, authorities and public institutions, persons holding public office, officials, political parties, candidates, and media institutions. Developed based on national legislation and international standards, it explains the forms of abusive use of administrative resources and the responsibilities of the actors involved in the electoral process.

The document presents situations such as the use of personnel, transportation, premises, or equipment of public institutions for campaign activities, the production of campaign materials from public funds, exerting pressure on employees to participate in electoral events, or turning work visits into promotional actions for a candidate.

Particular attention is given to communication in the online environment. The guide emphasizes the necessity of separating accounts used for official communication from those intended for the electoral campaign, as well as the prohibition of using institutional resources for managing campaign accounts and messages.

Additionally, it explains the obligations regarding the suspension of activity in office for the categories of candidates provided by law, the impartiality of public authorities, and the clear delineation, in journalistic materials, of the exercise of official duties from electoral activities.

Through this guide, the CEC aims to support the uniform application of the legal framework and prevent practices that may affect the fairness of the electoral competition. The Commission urges all involved actors to respect the principles of legality, impartiality, and transparency, so that public resources are used in the interest of citizens, not for gaining electoral advantages.

This text was translated using machine translation using AI translator based on OPENAI