On the election day, at 9pm, the head of the electoral office of the polling place announces the ending of voting and orders to close the polling place. The electoral office of the polling place starts to count the votes. Before opening the ballot boxes, all the unused ballots are counted. The head of the office put the “Annulled” stamp on them, ties them together and seals them up.
After the seals on the ballot boxes are checked, the head of the electoral office, in the presence of the members of the office and persons authorized to attend the vote count, opens the ballot boxes. First of all, they open the mobile ballot box and count the ballots in these, comparing them with the number of ballots issued for the purpose. The other ballot boxes are opened afterward and it is determined who of the contenders polled the largest number of votes. The electoral office head hands over the ballots with the valid votes for each of the electoral contender apart, the proceedings, the invalid, annulled or challenged ballots, the applications and challenges, all sealed up in a box, to the district electoral council within 18 hours of the closing of the polling place.
The election results are tabulated by the district electoral council in a report. Copies of this report are given to representatives of election runners and observers at request. The district electoral council presents the given document to the Central Election Commission within 48 hours of the closing of the polling place.
Based on the documents collected from district electoral councils, the CEC within five days compiles a report with the election outcome. If the final results do not coincide with the preliminary results, the election contestants can seek a recount. The recount is ordered by court and is performed by the same electoral bodies, substituting the electoral bodies to blame for the fraud. Until all the courts do not pronounce, the CEC cannot pass on the documents to the Constitutional Court.
Within five days of the receipt of the documents from the Central Election Commission, but not earlier than the legally filed challenges are definitively resolved by courts, the Constitutional Court validates or invalidates the elections and also validates the seats of elected MPs and confirms the lists of substitute candidates in case of validation.
There is no minimum election threshold for the parliamentary elections. The referendum will be valid if it involves 1/3 of the persons put on the voter rolls.
When the period of six months expires, the valid ballots, the invalid and annulled ballots and the right to vote certificates that were sent to court are destroyed, while the voter rolls are transmitted to the Central Election Commission within ten days of the conformation of the legality of elections. The CEC ensures access to the documents mentioned in this article in accordance with the law on access to information and by respecting the legislation on the protection of personal data.
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The IPN division “Elections in plain words” is designed to explain notions, terms and practices related to the parliamentary elections based on the mixed electoral system and the consultative referendum that will take place on February 24, 2019.
