Andre Yoskowitz
22 Apr 2012 14:17
Until 8PM today, French politicians and citizens are forced to remain quiet, by law, about the presidential race.
The candidates can not give speeches or interviews, distribute fliers or update their campaign Web sites or Facebook pages, says the NYT.
Media outlets, citizens, or anyone else in France are also banned from publishing any data, including exit polls. Anyone caught doing so can be fined 75,000 euros/$99,000 USD.
Of course, the polls and other data have been released on Twitter and elsewhere since the quiet period began on Friday. French president Sarkozy has been a critic of the outdated laws, as well, saying: "We're not going to prohibit people from going on the site of The New York Times to learn the results. Are we going to put up a digital border? Are we going to jam computers? What world are we living in, ultimately?"
The results will be released tonight in France.