The Ministry of Municipality is the competent authority to issue licences for electoral advertisements.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality has launched an online service to provide permits for the advertisements of Central Municipal Council (CMC) elections.
The election campaign begins with the announcement of the final lists of candidates and ends 24 hours before the votes are cast.
“The Ministry of Municipality, as the competent authority to issue licences for electoral advertisements, will receive the applications of candidates of CMC elections through the Ministry’s website ‘Advertising Licenses’ service,” said the Ministry in a statement.
The statement, which contains details and procedures for obtaining the advertisement permit, was shared by the Ministry on its Twitter handle.
The candidates must submit a copy of the nomination record from the Elections Committee or a proof of nomination, a copy of the applicant’s ID card and an illustrative and approved sketch submitted by the advertising company for the banners.
The required documents also include a form (list) with (the number of banners, the locations of the banners, the area number, the street name and the number).
The candidates should also submit a letter of authorisation for the advertising company, a copy of the commercial licence for the advertising company and attach a chart showing the locations of all banners.
Besides the location approved by the Ministry to place these adverts, banners can be placed on cement bases without excavating on sides of the road (the height of the banners should not exceed three metres and the width two meters). The area of the banners should not exceed six metres.
Also, it is allowed to position adverts on lampposts with a height of three metres and a width of one metre, leaving a distance of not less than 25 metres between two banners.
Banners must be 30 metres away from roundabouts, intersections or traffic signals. The distance between a banner and the edge of the road shall not be less than one metre, and it is prohibited to place a banner in places and buildings where advertisements are not allowed according to Advertising Regulation Law No. 1 of 2012.
As per the regulations, the period allowed for the electoral campaigns is after announcing the final lists of candidates. It ends 24 hours before the start of the election process, and candidates are obliged to remove the banners immediately after the electoral period.
