An election billboard near Larnaca Airport dedicated to the candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Israel and former Chief of the IDF General Staff Gadi Eisenkot was doused with paint in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
The incident occurred a few days after the appearance of an Israeli political advertisement in Cyprus caused a wide public outcry. The campaign dedicated to the Israeli Prime Minister’s election, which will be held on October 27, became the first ever election advertisement for a foreign political party on the island.
On one of the billboards there is a slogan: “Israelis, enjoy! You deserve it,” and on another, installed on the way to the airport, travelers are urged: “Come back and win!”.
The advertisement was criticized by social activists and independent member of the European Parliament Fidias Panagiotou, who called for a ban on foreign countries from conducting political advertising campaigns in Cyprus.
The discussion quickly moved beyond social media and raised the question of whether Cyprus law should regulate the placement of political advertisements from foreign countries.
As previously reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Cyprus, the current legislation does not contain provisions prohibiting foreign political parties from placing outdoor advertising outside the period of the Cypriot elections. The agency also noted that it does not have the authority to regulate the content of billboards.
The Organization for the Regulation of Advertising (Caro) has confirmed that there are currently no special rules in Cyprus governing the content of commercial advertising structures. The decision on the placement of advertising remains with the owners of billboards, subject to compliance with the general advertising standards.
Since foreign political parties have not previously conducted election campaigns in Cyprus, the current Israeli advertising campaign is considered unprecedented.
A source: cyprus-mail.com
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/larnake-ustanovlen-predvyibornyij-izrailskij-bilbord
