REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON ELECTIONS TO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS 7 July 1994   No I-532 Vilnius (As last amended on 2 October 2012 – No XI-2267) CHAPTER ONE GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1. Fundamentals of Elections of Municipal Councillors 1. Members of municipal councils of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as “municipal councillors”, “councillors”) shall be elected for a four-year term in multi-member constituencies by universal and equal suffrage, in a secret ballot at direct elections under the proportional electoral system. One multi-member constituency of a municipality (hereinafter referred to as a “constituency”) shall be formed in each municipality. 2. This Law has been harmonised with the legal acts of the European Union referred to in the Annex to this Law. Article 2. Universal Suffrage 1. The right to elect municipal councillors shall be enjoyed by permanent residents of the respective municipality, who are 18 years of age on polling day, i.e. voters. Persons who have been recognised legally incapable by the court shall not participate in elections to municipal councils (hereinafter referred to as “elections”). 2. Any permanent resident of a particular municipality, who is at least 20 years of age on polling day, may be elected as member of the council of that municipality. 3.  A permanent resident of a particular municipality shall be any citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who has declared his place of residence pursuant to legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania within the territory of this municipality or whose last known address of residence is within the territory of this municipality, or who has indicated by public declaration his place of residence within the territory of this municipality and such a place of residence is, in the prescribed manner, regarded as his principal place of residence, or any citizen of any other member state of the European Union who has the right to reside in the Republic of Lithuania and who has declared his place of residence pursuant to legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania within the territory of this municipality or who is included in this municipality in the records of persons who do not have a place of residence, or any other person who is entitled to permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania and holds the document confirming this right and who has declared his place of residence pursuant to legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania within the territory of this municipality or who is included in this municipality in the records of persons who do not have a place of residence. A person who declared his place of residence pursuant to legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania within the territory of a particular municipality not later than the date of submission of application documents to the respective municipal electoral commission, may be elected as member of the council of this municipality. 4. A person who has not completed a court-imposed sentence at least 65 days before elections, as well as a person who has been declared legally incapable or insane by the court may not be elected as municipal councillor. A citizen of a foreign state whose passive voting right has been restricted by the court in the state of which he is a citizen may not be elected as municipal councillor. 5. A person who on polling day is in the active or alternative national defence service, as well as a serviceman of the professional military service or an officer of a statutory institution or establishment, who has not been transferred to the reserve or has not retired at least 65 days before elections and whose participation in political activities is restricted under special laws or statutes, may not be elected as municipal councillor. 6. Other direct or indirect abridgements of the right to vote of permanent residents of that municipality on the grounds of origin, political opinion, social and property status, nationality, gender, education, language, relationship with religion, type and character of their occupation shall be prohibited. Article 3. Equal Suffrage 1.  Each voter shall have one vote to cast for a list of candidates for municipal councillor (hereinafter referred to as a “list of candidates”) or for a self-nominated candidate, i.e. a mandate vote (the sums of the mandate votes cast for each list or self-nominated candidate shall determine the number of mandates of municipal councillor received or not received by a concrete list of candidates, or whether or not the self-nominated candidate has been elected). A voter voting for a list of candidates may cast preference votes for the candidates of this list (a place of each candidate on the list after the election shall be determined by the sums of these votes cast for each candidate on the list). 2. All candidates for municipal councillor, whether nominated or self-nominated, shall be equal.  Article 4. Direct Elections There shall be no voting by proxy in elections to municipal councils. Article 5. Secret Ballot 1. Voters shall vote in person and by secret ballot. It shall be prohibited to vote for another person or to vote by proxy. A voter, who is unable to vote in person because of his disability, may vote with the assistance of another person whom he trusts, as provided for in this Law. 2. It shall be prohibited to control the will of voters in elections. During the voting it shall be prohibited to influence the self-determination or will of a voter to vote, or not to vote, for a particular candidate or list of candidates as well as to hasten a voter to vote. Necessary measures must be taken to enable a voter to mark a ballot paper in secret and without interference. It shall be prohibited to handle a ballot paper in such a way so as to reveal the secret of voting. Article 6. Prohibition against Bribery of Voters or Persons Eligible to Vote 1. It shall be prohibited to buy, directly or indirectly, votes, to induce, by offering gifts, services or other rewards, a voter or a person eligible to vote to attend or not to attend elections and/or to vote for or against a particular person to be nominated as a candidate or self-nominated, a candidate or a list of candidates, as well as to promise voters a reward for voting after the election with the purpose of affecting the will of voters in respect of particular political parties or candidates or persons to be nominated as candidates, thereby preventing citizens from exercising  their right to vote. 2. Production or free distribution of printed materials (a programme, biography of a political party or a candidate or a person to be nominated as a candidate or self-nominated, or any other information leaflets, calendars, postcards, stickers) and pins intended for campaigning for a political party or a candidate or a person to be nominated as a candidate or self-nominated shall not be considered as bribery of voters. 3. The facts of bribery of voters and persons eligible to vote shall be examined and decided by electoral commissions in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission. The Central Electoral Commission shall publish information about the established facts of bribery on the website together with a pledge of the candidate who has violated this Article to comply with the prohibition against bribing voters and persons eligible to vote. The recognition of the facts of bribery of voters and persons eligible to vote as a gross violation of this Law shall lead to the consequences defined in this Law and other laws. Article 7. Announcement of a Date of Elections to Municipal Councils 1. All municipal councillors shall be elected at the same time. 2. Elections to municipal councils shall be announced by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania no later than five months prior to the expiration of the powers of the incumbent municipal councillors. If four months prior to the expiration of the powers of the incumbent municipal councillors the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania fails to announce the date of elections to municipal councils, elections to municipal councils shall be held on the last Sunday coming at least one month prior to the expiration of the powers of the incumbent municipal councillors. Elections to municipal councils shall be held no earlier than two months and no later than one month prior to the expiration of the powers of the incumbent municipal councillors. 3. If elections to municipal councils must be held in time of war, a decision on holding such elections shall be taken according to special laws or other legal acts. 4. The day when ballots are cast in polling stations of polling districts shall be considered to be the day of elections to municipal councils. Voting at places other than polling stations (by post or in other ways provided for in this Law) shall be carried out before polling day or finished on polling day as it is provided for in this Law. The term which is calculated from polling day and may be implemented only when election results are proclaimed shall commence on the day of proclamation of the election results. 5. The date of rerun elections in a municipality shall be announced by the Central Electoral Commission in cases provided for in this Law no later than within 15 days from the day when the grounds for holding such elections occurred, unless otherwise provided for in this Law. It shall also announce an election date in the case specified in paragraph 2 of this Article. Article 8. Openness of Preparation and Holding of Elections 1. A public notice about a forthcoming meeting of an electoral commission shall be put on the notice board placed in the premises where the electoral commission has its office, and the members of this electoral commission shall be personally notified about the forthcoming meeting at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. 2. Meetings and voting of electoral commissions shall be open and may be observed by representatives for the election of political parties (hereinafter referred to as "parties"), self-nominated candidates, self-nominated candidates who have joined together to form a joint list (hereinafter referred to as "representatives for the election") and electoral observers upon presenting certificates of the established form or credentials validated by the seal of the parties which have authorised them, as well as representatives of the mass media upon presenting their professional cards or employment certificates. Every candidate shall have the right to participate in a meeting of an electoral commission if an issue pertaining to his personal activities or circumstances directly related to his person is being considered or if he has been invited to attend the meeting by the chairman of the electoral commission. 3. Persons present in the conference hall of the electoral commission may, from their seats, record, write down in shorthand or take down everything that is said at the meeting, photograph, film or make video recordings. Taking photographs or filming, video recording that requires walking around the premises or using special lighting equipment, as well as live radio or television broadcasting of meetings shall be subject to the permission of the chairman of the electoral commission. 4. Electoral commissions may not hold closed meetings. The Central Electoral Commission may prohibit anyone from entering the workroom of the service staff of electoral commissions, document storing premises if it is necessary to guarantee undisturbed working conditions of the staff and to protect election documents. 5. If there is a reason to believe that during a meeting of the electoral commission a threat to the security of participants of the meeting may arise, the chairman of the commission shall ask the police to check the documents and belongings of the persons entering the conference hall or to carry out their personal search. 6. The electoral commission may remove from the conference hall the persons who interfere with the work of the commission. Article 9. Expenditure Related to the Preparation and Holding of Elections Expenditure related to the preparation and holding of elections to municipal councils shall be covered by the State and municipalities. The expenditure of electoral commissions related to the organisation and conduct of elections and the work of the members of electoral commissions and the service staff shall be covered from the state budget. The maintenance of premises of polling stations and the office space of municipal electoral commissions and district electoral commissions, expenditure related to the purchase and maintenance of the polling stationery and equipment of polling stations shall be covered from municipal budgets. If the municipality fails to provide adequate premises or polling stationery and equipment for the offices of the municipal electoral commission and district electoral commissions as well as for polling stations, the Central Electoral Commission shall cover the expenditure related thereto with the funds of the state budget allocated to it. In such a case, the actual expenses on premises and polling stationery and equipment for polling stations shall be recovered without litigation by the Central Electoral Commission from the municipality within two months after the elections. CHAPTER TWO CONSTITUENCIES AND POLLING DISTRICTS Article 10. Number of Municipal Councillors to be Elected 1. Under the proportional electoral system, the following number of municipal councillors shall be elected: 1) 51 municipal councillors – in municipalities with more than 500 000 inhabitants; 2) 41 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 300 000 and 500 000 inhabitants; 3) 31 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 100 000 and 300 000 inhabitants; 4) 27 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 50 000 and 100 000 inhabitants; 5) 25 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 20 000 and 50 000 inhabitants; 6) 21 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 10 000 and 20 000 inhabitants; 7) 17 municipal councillors – in municipalities with a population between 5 000 and 10 000 inhabitants; 8) 15 municipal councillors – in municipalities with less than 5 000 inhabitants. 2. The Central Electoral Commission shall, at least 110 days before elections, announce the number of municipal councillors to be elected. Article 11. Formation of Polling Districts 1. Seeking to ensure convenient access for voters to polling stations and depending on the number of voters, the territories of municipalities shall be divided into polling districts. 2. The division of the territory of a municipality, which shall be permanent when organising and conducting various elections and referenda, into polling districts shall, on the recommendation of the director of the municipal administration, be approved and changed, when necessary, by the Central Electoral Commission. 3. No more than 5 000 voters must reside within the territory of a polling district. 4. The boundaries of a polling district shall be adjusted and the address of a polling station shall be changed when necessary, but no later than 100 days before elections. In his recommendation to approve the division of the territory of a municipality into polling districts, the director of the municipal administration shall specify the proposed name of a polling district, the addresses comprising the polling district, the number of voters in the polling district which is being formed, the address and telephone number of a polling station. The recommendation on changes in the division of the territory of a municipality into polling districts shall specify the proposed changes. These changes must be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission at least 110 days before elections. Where it is impossible to conduct voting at the polling station designated earlier, the Central Electoral Commission may, on the recommendation of the municipal electoral commission, change the address of the polling station of the district electoral commission at a period shorter than the one specified in this Article. 5. A list of the approved polling districts and changes made therein shall be announced by the Central Electoral Commission at least 100 days before elections. CHAPTER THREE ORGANISATION of Elections TO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS   Article 12. Electoral Commissions 1. Elections to municipal councils shall be organised and conducted by: 1) the Central Electoral Commission; 2) municipal electoral commissions; and 3) district electoral commissions. 2. Any citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may be proposed as a member of an electoral commission provided that he is eligible to stand for elections to the Seimas (without applying the age requirement set for a candidate to Seimas member, but not younger than 18 years of age on polling day) and was not removed from an electoral commission or a referendum commission during the last three elections to the Seimas, presidential elections, elections to municipal councils or the referendum for violations of laws on elections or the Law on the Referendum. 3. The same person may not concurrently be an electoral commission member and a candidate; a candidate and a representative for the election; a representative for the election and an electoral commission member; a candidate and an electoral observer; an electoral commission member and an electoral observer. An electoral commission member wishing to stand as a candidate – before giving a commission member’s pledge, or a person wishing to stand as a candidate – before nominating himself as a candidate or giving his consent to stand as a candidate must respectively resign from the duties of the electoral commission member or withdraw his application documents at least ten days in advance. If an electoral commission member fails to do so, he shall be dismissed from the electoral commission for the violation of this Law and shall not be registered as a candidate or his name shall be struck off the list of candidates. Article 13. Formation of Municipal Electoral Commissions 1. For the period of elections, the Central Electoral Commission shall form municipal electoral commissions at least 74 days before elections. 2. A municipal electoral commission shall be composed of: 1) one person who resides or works in the territory of that municipality has higher legal education and is nominated by the Minister of Justice; 2) one person who resides or works in the territory of that municipality has higher legal education and is nominated by the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association; 3) one career civil servant who works in the administration of that municipality and is nominated by the director of the administration of that municipality; 4) persons nominated by parties, cross-party coalitions which during the last elections to the Seimas received mandates of Seimas member in the multi-member constituency; 5) persons nominated by parties, cross-party coalitions which during the last elections to the municipal council received at least 3 mandates of members of that municipal council. 3. The Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association and the director of the municipal administration may propose more than one person. 4. Every party, cross-party coalition which received mandates of Seimas member in the multi-candidate constituency shall each have the right to propose one representative (hereinafter referred to as a "nominee") to municipal electoral commissions for one list (joint list) of candidates nominated in the multi-member constituency. Every party, cross-party coalition which, during the last elections to the municipal council, received mandates of members of that municipal council according to the list (joint list) of nominated candidates shall each have the right to propose one nominee to the respective municipal electoral commission for one list (joint list) of nominated candidates. If the party may propose nominees on the basis of the results of both elections to the Seimas and elections to the municipal council, it shall propose nominees on the basis of either of these results of its choice. If one of the parties which participated in the coalition does not propose or refuses to propose nominees, or chooses to propose nominees on the basis of the results of the elections other than those for which the coalition was formed, the other parties which participated in this coalition shall have the right to propose nominees without its participation. Parties, their coalitions shall submit lists of nominees to the Central Electoral Commission at least 81 days before elections. If nominees meet the requirements of this Law, the Central Electoral Commission cannot reject the said nominees. Where no nominees have been proposed, the Central Electoral Commission may additionally, instead of them, appoint as commission members persons who are proposed by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association or the director of the municipal administration. 5. In all cases, not less than three municipal electoral commission members must be persons appointed to a municipal electoral commission from the candidates proposed by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association and the director of the municipal administration. In the event of less than three persons, the commission shall be enlarged from the persons proposed by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association or the director of the municipal administration. 6. If elections to the European Parliament or the Seimas, or the office of President of the Republic, or the municipal council, or a referendum are concurrently held on the same day, the same district electoral commissions or referendum commission shall be formed. The Central Electoral Commission shall form a single – municipal electoral, constituency electoral or referendum – commission on a separate electoral or referendum territory and shall define its functions in organising and carrying out other elections or referendum. 7. The Central Electoral Commission shall appoint the chairman of a municipal electoral commission from the commission members. A person who has got experience of working as the chairman or member of the Central Electoral Commission, a municipal electoral, constituency electoral or referendum commission or experience of working as the chairman of a district electoral commission shall be appointed as the chairman of a municipal electoral commission. 8. During its first meeting the municipal electoral commission shall elect a deputy chairman and a secretary of the commission. Article 14.  Powers of the Municipal Electoral Commission The municipal electoral commission shall: 1) in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission, inform voters who reside within the territory of the respective municipality about the boundaries of polling districts, offices of district electoral commissions, their working hours and polling stations; 2) supervise the implementation of this Law in the municipal territory; 3) form district electoral commissions; 4) within the limits of the estimate of the municipal electoral commission approved by the Central Electoral Commission, approve estimates of expenses of district electoral commissions and control the use of funds assigned in these estimates; 5) register electoral observers and issue certificates to them, observe political campaigning in the municipal territory and submit observation-related information to the Central Electoral Commission in accordance with the procedure laid down by it; 6) accept application documents, verify them, register lists of candidates and self-nominated candidates, issue certificates to the registered candidates, register cross-party coalitions which are being formed or wound up, determine the numbering of joint lists of candidates; 7) inspect forms for the collection of voters’ signatures (or assign this task to district electoral commissions) and determine whether or not the required number of signatures of voters who supported the self-nomination of a candidate has been collected; 8) make up a list of health care (except out-patient), social care and guardianship institutions, military elements, arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) and penal institutions situated within the territory of the municipality, and together with the head of the post office take care of the organisation of voting by post in the said places, as well as organise early voting; 9) draw up a vote counting record of the constituency, establish election results and forward them to the Central Electoral Commission for approval; following the decision of the Central Electoral Commission publish the list of the elected municipal councillors in the press; 10) consider complaints against decisions and actions of district electoral commissions and take decisions; revoke decisions of district electoral commissions which are not in compliance with the requirements of laws or other legal acts; and 11) exercise other powers provided for in this Law. Article 15. Formation of District Electoral Commissions 1. At least 65 days before elections, the municipal electoral commission shall determine the number of members of each district electoral commission that must be a multiple of the number of the parties which have the right to propose nominees to district electoral commissions. In the event of an insufficient number of proposed nominees or a vacancy in the district electoral commission, the director of the administration of the municipality in the territory of which the polling district is formed may propose the lacking nominees. 2. The following shall have the right to propose an equal number of nominees to a district electoral commission: 1) a party or cross-party coalition which during the last elections to the Seimas received mandates of Seimas member in the multi-member constituency. If the party received mandates of Seimas member while in the coalition, it may propose nominees together with the parties which participated in the coalition; 2) a party or cross-party coalition which during the last elections to the municipal council received at least 2 mandates of members of that municipal council. If the party received mandates of municipal councillor while in the coalition, it may propose nominees together with the parties which participated in the coalition. 3. If the party may propose nominees on the basis of the results of both elections to the Seimas and elections to the municipal council, it shall propose nominees on the basis of either of these results of its choice. If one of the parties which participated in the coalition does not propose or refuses to propose nominees, or chooses to propose nominees on the basis of the results of the elections other than those for which the coalition was formed, the other parties which participated in this coalition shall have the right to propose nominees without its participation. 4. Parties shall submit lists of nominees for members of district electoral commissions to municipal electoral commissions at least 48 days before elections. 5. District electoral commissions shall, for the period of elections, be formed by municipal electoral commissions at least 45 days before elections. If a nominee proposed by the party to the district electoral commission meets the requirements of this Law, the municipal electoral commission cannot reject him. 6. If no nominees have been proposed or the proposed nominees do not meet the requirements of this Law, or they have been proposed after the set time limit, a municipal electoral commission may decrease the earlier fixed number of members of the district electoral commission or address the director of the municipal administration so that the latter would propose the lacking number of nominees to the district electoral commission. Persons proposed by the director of the municipal administration may not be members of parties or become one prior to the expiration of the powers of the electoral commission member. If at the meeting appointing a member of a district electoral commission at least three members of a municipal electoral commission object to the appointment of the person proposed by the director of the municipal administration, that person may not be appointed a commission member. 7. The municipal electoral commission shall appoint the chairman of a district electoral commission from among its members. A person who has got experience of working as the chairman or member of an electoral commission or a person who has a university degree or equivalent degree or non-university degree of higher education (college education) shall be appointed as the chairman of a district electoral commission. 8. During its first meeting the district electoral commission shall elect a deputy chairman and a secretary of the commission. Article 16. Powers of the District Electoral Commission The district electoral commission shall: 1) receive district electoral rolls from the municipal electoral commission, take the necessary measures to enable voters, representatives for the election to familiarise themselves with the said rolls, deliver or otherwise distribute poll cards to voters, inform the municipal electoral commission about inaccuracies noticed in the district electoral roll; 2) consider complaints concerning errors made in the district electoral roll; 3) in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission, supervise the course of voting by post in the territory of a polling district to enable voting by post in all health care (except out-patient), social care and guardianship institutions, military elements, arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) and penal institutions situated within the territory of a polling district, as well as organise voting at home; 4) together with a representative of the municipal administration, take care of the arrangement of polling stations, polling booths and ballot boxes in due time pursuant to the requirements laid down in this Law; 5) organise voting in the polling district on polling day; 6) count votes, draw up a vote counting record of the polling district and transmit the data of this record through means of electronic communication in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission; 7) consider complaints of voters and electoral observers of its polling district on issues concerning the preparation of the election, organisation of voting, vote count, drawing-up of vote counting records, and take decisions related thereto; 8) exercise other powers provided for in this Law. Article 17. Written Pledges of Electoral Commission Members 1. A member, chairman of an electoral commission shall start holding a position in the electoral commission only upon giving a written pledge. A person who gives a written pledge shall have the right to choose one of the texts of a written pledge set forth in paragraph 2 of this Article and to give a written pledge in compliance with it. 2. The Central Electoral Commission shall establish the procedure for giving a written pledge by members, chairmen of municipal electoral commissions and district electoral commissions. The texts of a written pledge of a member, chairman of an electoral commission shall read as follows: 1) “I, (name, surname), swear to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania, observe its Constitution and laws, conscientiously and honestly perform my duties in the electoral commission and refrain from actions violating laws and human rights. So help me God.”; 2) “I, (name, surname), swear to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania, observe its Constitution and laws, conscientiously and honestly perform my duties in the electoral commission and refrain from actions violating laws and human rights." 3. Upon giving a written pledge, a person shall sign at the foot of the pledge. The text of a written pledge may not be altered. The pledge shall be effective for the whole duration of the appointment to the electoral commission. 4. Written pledges of members, chairmen of the electoral commission shall be kept in the custody of the electoral commission which has appointed them. 5. The decision of the Central Electoral Commission or a municipal electoral commission on the appointment of an electoral commission member shall fix the time when the electoral commission member must give a written pledge. A person who has not given a written pledge within 15 days after his appointment as an electoral commission member shall be removed from his position in the electoral commission. Article 18. Organisation of the Work of Electoral Commissions 1. Meetings of electoral commissions shall be valid if attended by at least three-fifths of the commission members. Decisions of commissions shall be adopted by open vote of the majority of the commission members present in the meeting. In the event of a tie, the commission chairman shall have a casting vote. Commission members who do not agree with the decision shall be entitled to express a dissenting opinion in writing. It shall be attached to the minutes and shall form an integral part of the minutes. 2. After the close of elections, the powers of the chairmen and members of municipal electoral commissions and district electoral commissions shall be terminated. The decision to terminate the powers shall be adopted by the electoral commission which appointed the commission members, provided this commission and its chairman have fulfilled all the tasks assigned to them under this Law. 3. The chairman or member of an electoral commission who has given a written pledge shall be prohibited from any form of election campaigning or attempts to influence the will of voters in any other way. A person who has violated this requirement or a written pledge of the commission member must be dismissed from the electoral commission and may be held liable under law. Article 19. Appeals against Decisions of Electoral Commissions Adopted before the Close of the Poll 1. A party which has nominated candidates, a self-nominated candidate, a representative for the election, an electoral observer shall have the right to appeal against any decision of the electoral commission adopted before the close of the poll or against any other act of the commission: 1) that of the district electoral commission – to the municipal electoral commission; 2) that of the municipal electoral commission – to the Central Electoral Commission; 3) that of the Central Electoral Commission – to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. 2. A voter, a representative for the election who does not agree with the decision of the district electoral commission which has been adopted on his complaint concerning the errors made in the electoral roll which prevent the voter from implementing his right to vote (he has been incorrectly entered in or struck off the electoral roll as well as inaccurate data about the voter has been entered in the electoral roll) shall be entitled to appeal against such a decision of the district electoral commission to the administrative court of an appropriate region. 3. An appeal filed with the regional administrative court must be investigated within 48 hours from the filing thereof. Non-working days shall also be included in this time limit. The decision of the court shall become effective after its pronouncement. Appeals which have been filed not in compliance with the procedure established in this Article shall not be considered and shall be referred to the electoral commission which must investigate them. A district electoral commission, a municipal electoral commission cannot refer to the Central Electoral Commission for consideration appeals which are within their own jurisdiction but have not been investigated by them. Article 20. Support Provided to Electoral Commissions and Allocation of State Budget Funds to Municipal Electoral Commissions to Organise Elections 1. State and municipal institutions, enterprises, establishments and organisations as well as their officials must assist electoral commissions in exercising their powers and must provide information necessary for the performance of their functions. 2. State and municipal institutions, enterprises, establishments and organizations as well as their officials must not later than within three days consider requests submitted by electoral commissions and give justified replies to the electoral commissions. 3. The chairman of a municipal electoral commission shall enjoy the right to conclude employment contracts with employees necessary to carry out ancillary works related to the organization of elections. These employment contracts shall be concluded by the chairman of the electoral commission under the power of attorney on behalf of the Central Electoral Commission. The procedure of remuneration for work in electoral commissions and the amounts of such remuneration shall be approved by the Government, on the recommendation of the Central Electoral Commission. 4. At the request of the municipality, state establishments and other organisations shall provide electoral commissions with adequate premises and equipment for the preparation and holding of elections. 5. The Central Electoral Commission shall transfer the state budget funds allocated to municipal electoral commissions for the organisation of elections to the bank account of the Central Electoral Commission opened in each municipality. 6. The Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission shall sign an agreement with the chairman of a municipal electoral commission on the use of state budget funds which shall specify: 1) the amount of budget funds transferred to the municipal electoral commission and the programme of the Central Electoral Commission under which these funds are allocated; 2) the intended purpose of the use of budget funds; 3) planned detailed distribution of budget funds according to the economic purpose of expenditure, and the calculation of remuneration costs (appended to the agreement); 4) the procedure for accounting to the Central Electoral Commission for the organisation of elections; 5) the procedure for accounting to the Central Electoral Commission for the use of budget funds (indicating the economic purpose of expenditure) and submitting of accounting documents justifying the use of the funds; 6) other provisions helping the Central Electoral Commission to ensure the legitimacy, cost-effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of programmes and the use of the allocated appropriations. 7. The Central Electoral Commission shall transfer the state budget funds for the organisation of elections to the accounts indicated in paragraph 5 of this Article in accordance with the estimates of municipal electoral commissions approved by the Central Electoral Commission. 8. The chairman of a municipal electoral commission shall control how the state budget funds allocated to the municipal electoral commission for the organisation of elections are used and shall account to the Central Electoral Commission for the use thereof. 9. The Central Electoral Commission shall examine the report on the use of the state budget funds for the organisation of elections and the documents justifying the expenditure, presented by the chairman of the municipal electoral commission. Having established violations of financing, use of funds or accounting the Central Electoral Commission shall initiate recovery of damages from the guilty persons. 10. The chairman of the municipal electoral commission shall be liable for the damages inflicted during the period of validity of the agreement on the use of state budget funds even after the expiration of such an agreement. Article 21. Payment for Work of Electoral Commission Members 1. Chairmen, deputy chairmen, secretaries and members of electoral commissions shall receive payment for their work in electoral commissions at the rates submitted by the Central Electoral Commission and approved by the Government. 2. Members, chairmen and deputy chairmen of electoral commissions shall be paid for their work in electoral commissions against actual time sheets, without exceeding the appropriations allocated to an appropriate electoral commission for remuneration. The Central Electoral Commission shall establish the procedure for filling in time sheets in electoral commissions.  The chairman of an appropriate electoral commission shall be responsible for the accuracy of the time sheets. Limitation on the working time defined in the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania shall not be applied to work in electoral commissions. 3. The procedure for imposing incentive measures to chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of electoral commissions shall be approved by the Government on the recommendation of the Central Electoral Commission. Article 22. Changes in the Composition of an Electoral Commission 1. The chairman or member of an electoral commission may be removed from his position in the commission by the electoral commission which approved the composition of the said commission, or by the Central Electoral Commission. 2. The electoral commission may consider only a justified proposal of a party to recall the member of the electoral commission whom the party proposed. 3. When necessary, a new chairman or member of the electoral commission may be appointed in accordance with the procedure established by this Law even upon the expiration of the time limits set in paragraph 1 of Article 13 and paragraph 5 of Article 15 of this Law. CHAPTER FOUR Electoral rolls and POLL CARDS Article 23. Electoral Rolls 1. For organising and holding elections the following electoral rolls shall be compiled: 1) the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania; 2) electoral rolls of municipalities; and 3) electoral rolls of polling districts. 2. Electoral rolls shall be drawn up twice – provisional and final. These rolls may be used only for the organisation and holding of elections. 3. The procedure for drawing up electoral rolls must be so that every person eligible to vote shall be entered on an electoral roll. No one may be entered on an electoral roll more than once. 4. The electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and electoral rolls of municipalities which are drawn up and managed by the management body of the Residents' Register shall be made in electronic data media. Electoral rolls of polling districts shall be printed. The procedure, form, method of compiling electoral rolls and the procedure of their use shall be laid down by the Central Electoral Commission. When drawing up electoral rolls, the following personal data shall be used: 1) in the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania: name, surname, personal number, date of birth, number of the document confirming citizenship, home address and grounds for entering the address in the Residents’ Register; 2) in the municipal electoral roll: name, surname, personal number, date of birth, home address and grounds for entering the address in the Residents’ Register; 3) in the polling district electoral roll: name, surname and home address. The home address of a voter who has expressed disagreement about his home address appearing in the polling district electoral roll shall be indicated only in the annex to the polling district electoral roll and in the poll card. 5. Every voter shall have the right to express disagreement about his home address being made public in the polling district electoral roll. The Central Electoral Commission shall, together with the management body of the Residents’ Register, take the necessary measures to enable a voter to exercise his right to express disagreement about his home address being made public in the polling district electoral roll. Article 24. General Procedure for Entering Voters on the Electoral Roll of the Republic of Lithuania 1. All persons eligible to vote shall be entered on the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania on the basis of the data of the issuance of the passport, identity card or permit for permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania, as well as the data of the Residents’ Register of the Republic of Lithuania. State and municipal institutions and establishments which issue documents confirming the identity of a person or the right to permanently reside in the Republic of Lithuania, manage the data pertaining to the declaration of the place of residence of persons, register the death of persons and the loss of citizenship, shall also be responsible for accurate and timely changes and updates of the data in the Residents’ Register of the Republic of Lithuania. Electoral rolls compiled on the basis of the data of the Residents’ Register of the Republic of Lithuania shall be provisional. 2. Compiling, updating and management of electoral rolls shall be organised by the Central Electoral Commission on the basis of the information furnished by state, municipal institutions and municipal electoral commissions. 3. The following persons shall be struck off the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania: 1) a diseased voter; 2) a person who has lost the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania and does not have a document confirming the right to permanently reside in the Republic of Lithuania; 3) a voter after a court decision, whereby he has been declared legally incapable, becomes effective; 4) a person whose document confirming the right to permanently reside in the Republic of Lithuania has been revoked in accordance with the procedure laid down by the law. 4. Provisional electoral rolls with changes done therein and acknowledged in accordance with the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission shall be approved as final electoral rolls not more than 7 days before elections. Changes in final electoral rolls may be done only with the consent of the Central Electoral Commission. Article 25. Electoral Rolls of Municipalities A municipal electoral roll shall be drawn up in the electronic data media by the Central Electoral Commission according to the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and the home address of a voter (the last known or declared home address of the voter) indicated therein, and shall be delivered to the municipal electoral commission at least 39 days before elections. Concurrently, rolls of voters whose home addresses are unknown shall be drawn up. Article 26. Electoral Rolls of Polling Districts A polling district electoral roll shall be drawn up by the municipal electoral commission according to the municipal electoral roll and the voter’s home address indicated therein, and shall be delivered to the district electoral commission at least 26 days before elections. Article 27. Public Announcement of, and Access to, Electoral Rolls 1. The district electoral commission shall, at least 25 days before elections, take the necessary measures to enable voters to familiarise themselves with the polling district electoral roll. Voters shall only have access to their own data specified in an annex to the polling district electoral roll. It shall be prohibited to make copies of polling district electoral rolls or to duplicate or distribute such lists in any other manner. A notice must be posted at the entrance to the premises of an electoral commission indicating the duty hours of the commission members and telephone numbers by which voters may check whether they have been entered on the electoral roll. Upon the expiration of the time limit specified in this Law for issuing poll cards, notices indicating the duty hours of the district electoral commission, its contact telephone numbers and the polling district on the electoral roll of which the residents of a multi-family apartment building have been entered must also be posted in the stairways of such buildings. 2. The electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and electoral rolls of municipalities shall not be made public, however, information about the entry of a voter on the electoral roll may be provided to the voter concerned by telephone. Article 28. Poll Card 1. A poll card shall be an information certificate about an election to a voter, a nominal invitation to participate in an election.  Poll cards together with other information about the election shall be delivered to voters or such delivery shall be organised by electoral commissions.  A voter himself, or at his request – any other person, may print or write out his poll card in accordance with the data of the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania received through means of electronic communication (via the internet or a mobile short text message) in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission. In this event, the voter himself shall sign his poll card, except for the cases when he cannot sign it himself because of his disability and the poll card is signed by another person chosen by the voter, indicating his name, surname and personal number. Electoral commissions shall distribute poll card forms which may be filled out by the voter himself. A poll card shall be mandatory only in the cases where a voter votes not on polling day at a place other than a polling district. 2. A poll card shall specify: 1) the voter’s name and surname; 2) the voter’s home address; 3) the name and number of a polling district on the electoral poll of which the voter has been entered, and the address of a polling station; 4) the successive number of the voter on the polling district electoral roll; and 5) election date, polling time at the polling station of the polling district; invitation to attend the election, other information relevant to the voter or the organisation of the election. 3. If a voter requests to issue him with a duplicate of a poll card in place of the poll card he has lost or has not received, a duplicate must be issued to the voter immediately as soon as his data to be entered on the card are established. Article 29. Delivery of Poll Cards 1. The delivery of poll cards to voters shall be organised by a district electoral commission. 2. The procedure for delivering poll cards to voters who are in health care (except out-patient), social care and guardianship institutions, military elements, arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) and penal institutions shall be laid down in Articles 66, 67 and 68 of this Law. 3. The delivery of a poll card shall be noted in a provisional polling district electoral roll. A poll card shall be handed either to a voter, who has the right to vote at home, personally or to any other person residing with the voter.  If the poll card cannot be delivered because the voter or the person residing with him is not at home, a general invitation to come to vote may be put into a mailbox or handed to the voter’s neighbour who knows the voter and undertakes to give the poll card to the voter. The delivery of poll cards to voters must be finished at least 8 days before elections. 4. The voter who has not received a poll card in due time or who has received a poll card with inaccuracies, must without delay inform thereof the district electoral commission on whose service territory he resides and produce his passport or any other identification document. If the voter has been entered on the electoral roll of this polling district, the district electoral commission must write out a new poll card to the voter and issue it to him immediately. If the voter has not been entered on the electoral roll of this polling district, but the voter’s home address according to the Residents’ Register’s data is assigned to the territory of this polling district or the voter produces other evidence that he resides within the territory of this polling district, the district electoral commission shall provide a request blank the form whereof is established by the Central Electoral Commission to be filled out by the voter to enter him on the electoral roll of this polling district (or a member of the district electoral commission shall himself fill out this request, the voter may submit this request electronically) and shall immediately inform the municipal electoral commission thereof, which must take care of entering the voter on the electoral roll of this polling district under the abovementioned request. The poll card shall be written out and delivered to the voter as soon as electoral rolls are updated. Article 30. Updating Electoral Rolls before Drawing up Final Electoral Rolls 1. Provisional electoral rolls shall be updated by transferring a voter from one electoral roll of a municipality or a polling district into another, deleting a voter from or entering him on the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania. 2. The voter shall be transferred from one electoral roll into another if it becomes clear that the voter’s home address in the provisional electoral roll is incorrect or it has changed after the said roll was drawn up. 3. Transferring of a voter from the electoral roll of one polling district into another within the same municipality shall be carried out by the municipal electoral commission which shall notify the Central Electoral Commission about the changes made in the electoral rolls of the polling districts. Transferring of a voter from the electoral roll of one municipality into the electoral roll of another municipality shall be executed by the Central Electoral Commission on the recommendation of the municipal electoral commission and the changes made shall be notified to the municipal electoral commissions. Only the Central Electoral Commission may enter a voter on or strike him from the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania in the cases provided for in Article 24 of this Law. Article 31. Entering of Voters who are in Military Elements, Arrest Houses, Remand Prisons (Detention Facilities) and Penal Institutions on Electoral Rolls 1. Voters performing the mandatory military service shall be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district on the territory of which they permanently resided before they have been called up for the mandatory military service. 2. Voters performing the active military service, civil service or working under employment contracts in international military operations abroad shall be entered on the electoral rolls of the polling district on the territory of which they have declared their place of residence. 3. Voters who are in arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) or penal institutions shall be entered on the electoral rolls of the polling district on the territory of which they have declared their place of residence. If such a person has not declared his place of residence he, at his written request, shall be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district on the territory of which an arrest house, remand prison (detention facilities) or penal institution is situated. A person who declared his place of residence before he has been placed in an arrest house, remand prison (detention facilities) or penal institution may not be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district on the territory of which the arrest house, remand prison (detention facilities) or penal institution is situated. Article 32. Updating Electoral Rolls upon Drawing up Final Electoral Rolls as well as on Polling Day 1. If following the approval of the final electoral rolls, but no later than until 6pm on polling day, a district electoral commission is addressed by a voter who has not been entered on the electoral roll of that polling district and submits his passport, identity card or permit for permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania and the document certifying the declared place of residence within the territory of that polling district, the district electoral commission shall enter the voter on the additional electoral roll of the polling district and allow him to vote according to the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission, as well as immediately communicate the voter’s name, surname, personal number, the number of his passport or any other identification document, and his address to the municipal electoral commission. The municipal electoral commission shall check whether the voter has been entered on the municipal electoral roll and take measures to ensure that the voter would not be able to vote twice or the ballot papers filled by him would be counted only once. If the voter has voted twice, only the vote which was put in the ballot box of the polling district shall be counted. The other vote of the voter, received by post or cast according to the additional electoral roll of the polling district shall not be counted. 2. On polling day a voter who has not yet voted may, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission, vote in another polling district of his municipality, provided that all the polling districts of this municipality are connected through means of electronic communication to the electronic electoral roll and the district electoral commissions can confirm that the voter has not voted in any of the polling districts, and the electoral commission of the polling district on whose electoral roll the said voter is entered confirms that an entry has been made in the electoral roll of this polling district on the arrival of the said voter to vote at another polling district and the voter's vote, if received by post, will not be counted. Article 33. Complaints about Electoral Rolls 1. A voter or a representative for the election shall be entitled, at least seven days before elections, to lodge complaints with the district electoral commission concerning the errors made in the electoral roll due to which the voter has not been entered on the electoral roll in accordance with the procedure laid down by this Law or has been entered on several electoral rolls. The district electoral commission must consider the complaint and take a decision thereon either immediately or within two days of the receipt thereof, if more than ten days are left until polling day. 2. A decision of the district electoral commission concerning the complaint referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may within three days be appealed against to the respective regional administrative court.  The court shall consider the complaint within two days. The decision of the court shall be final. 3. Complaints and comments shall not be considered after the expiration of the term set for filing comments or complaints. 4. District electoral commissions shall report to the municipal electoral commission about the received complaints and the changes made in the electoral rolls as a result of the court’s decision, and the municipal electoral commission shall report to the Central Electoral Commission as soon as possible but not later than within 12 hours. CHAPTER FIVE NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES Article 34. Nomination of Candidates 1. Candidates may be nominated by parties registered in compliance with the Law on Political Parties at least 185 days before elections and meeting the requirements set by the Law on Political Parties regarding the number of party members. 2. A party shall nominate candidates by presenting a general list of candidates for municipal councillor in which the candidates are entered in the order established by the party. In total the candidates in the list of candidates submitted by the …