The Legislature hereby declares that the purpose of this Article is to encourage every candidate for public office in this State to subscribe to the Code of Fair Campaign Practices. It is the intent of the Legislature that every candidate for public office in this State who subscribes to the Code of Fair Campaign Practices will follow the basic principles of decency, honesty and fair play in order to encourage healthy competition and open discussion of issues and candidate qualifications and discourage practices that cloud the issues or unfairly attack opponents.