WILLEMSTAD – All political parties are allowed to start their political campaigning two (2) months before the election date, which begins from the day the list of candidates is submitted. The ROP (Registration of Political Parties) provides clarification on all the rules and requirements that must be adhered to when conducting political campaigning.
Recently, the "Electoral Council" announced that the date for the next election in 2025 is March 21st. Consequently, the date to begin any political campaigning, according to the stipulations on managing campaigns, is January 21, 2025.
The campaigning must not result in:
Physical damage to roads or objects in public areas
Interference with the efficient use of public areas
Obstruction of accessibility in public areas
Creating obstacles for traffic safety
Disrupting the maintenance of public areas
Causing nuisance or disturbances
Damaging the view of public areas
Other requirements that must be followed within the framework of public order are:
Illuminated campaigning, campaigning on roofs, or vertical campaigning on more than one floor is only permitted in business areas and store areas, with the exception of city center areas
Moving or changing advertisements, or those with lights, including digital billboards, can pose a risk to traffic. Therefore, before they are put up, permission must be sought from ROP regarding the site, light intensity, frequency of change, and the way they are positioned on the roadside. This allows ROP to assess whether the proposed method is permissible.
Campaigning must not obstruct the view of traffic users in any way. This particularly applies to crossroads.
Campaigning cannot be placed in a way that causes a hazard in traffic.
Campaigning cannot be placed on roundabouts.
No campaigning is allowed on public furniture, such as roadside or traffic furniture, except for light poles; no campaigning is allowed on trees in public areas, and it must be fixed in such a way that it can be easily removed afterward.
"Triangular boards" or "sandwich boards" are not allowed.
Campaigning with sound is not allowed.
Campaigning in form is only permitted in business or store areas, with the exception of city center areas.
Campaigning that is not made of solid and durable material is not permitted.
No parking of vehicles, trailers, or other mobile objects with advertisements on them in public areas, on roadsides, or beside public roads. This is only allowed on private property.
ROP works hard to organize and manage the political campaigning process. In this way, the community can support their preferred candidates in an organized and structured manner. ROP urges all political parties to adhere to all existing rules and requirements.