official translation Official translation REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON ELECTIONS TO THE SEIMAS 9 July 1992 No I-2721 Vilnius (As last amended on 17 November 2005 — No X-397) CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIO

Article 13

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Article 14

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Article 15. Formation of Constituency Electoral Committees 1.

The Central Electoral Committee shall for the period of elections form constituency electoral committees no later than 74 days in advance of the elections.

1. Constituency electoral committees shall be composed of: 1) a person nominated by the Minister of Justice, having a university law degree, who resides or works in the territory of the municipality the whole or a part whereof has been designated to this constituency; 2) a person nominated by the Lithuanian Lawyers’ Association, having a university law degree, who resides or works in the territory of the municipality the whole or a part whereof has been designated to this constituency; 3) a career public servant nominated by the mayor and employed in the administration of the municipality the whole or a part whereof has been designated to this constituency; 4) persons nominated by parties which have received the mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency.
2. The Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society and the mayor may nominate more candidates. If the territory of a constituency is made up of territories of several municipalities, the committee must include career public servants employed in the administration of all of these municipalities, nominated by the mayors of these municipalities.
3. Parties which have received the mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency according to the list (joint list) of candidates shall each have the right to nominate two representatives to constituency electoral committees from one list of candidates nominated in this constituency. If the representatives meet the requirements of this Law, the Central Electoral Commission may not turn down said candidacies. If candidates have not been nominated, the Central Electoral Commission may, instead of them, additionally appoint as members of the Committee persons nominated by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society or a mayor.
4. In all cases, no less than 3 committee members must be persons who have been appointed to constituency electoral committees from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society or a mayor. If the number of such persons is less, additional members to the committee shall be appointed from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice, the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society or a mayor.
5. If elections to the Seimas or elections of the President of the Republic, or a referendum are concurrently held on the same day, the same polling district committees or referendum committees shall be formed. The Central Electoral Commission shall form a single - town, region, constituency or referendum, committee in a separate electoral, referendum territory and shall define its functions in organising and conducting other elections or a referendum.
6. The Central Electoral Commission shall appoint the chairman of the constituency electoral committee.
7. During its first meeting, the constituency electoral committee shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary of the committee. Article
8. Powers of the Constituency Electoral Committee The constituency electoral committee shall: 1) inform, in the manner established by the Central Electoral Commission, the voters who reside in the constituency about the boundaries of the polling districts, their offices, their working hours and polling stations; 2) supervise the implementation of this Law in the constituency; 3) form polling district committees; 4) distribute the funds allocated for the election among the polling district committees, control how these funds are used and report to the Central Electoral Commission about the funds used for the election; 5) register election observers and issue certificates to them; 6) monitor voting by post in the territory of the constituency 7) make up a list of healthcare, social care and guardianship institutions, military units and places of confinement situated in the territory of the constituency, and together with the head of the post office make arrangements to organise voting by post in those institutions; 8) draw up the vote counting record of the constituency; 9) consider complaints against decisions and actions of the polling committees and adopt decisions, repeal decisions which contravene the requirements of laws and other legal acts; 10) exercise other powers provided for in this Law. Article
9. Formation of Polling District Committees
10. No later than 65 days prior to the election, the constituency electoral committee shall determine the number of the members of each polling district committee that must be a multiple of the number of the parties (their coalitions) which have the right to nominate candidates to electoral committees. If the number of the nominated candidates is insufficient or if there is a vacancy in the committee, the mayor of the municipality in the territory whereof the polling district is formed may nominate the needed candidates.
11. An equal number of candidates to the polling district committee may be nominated by: 1) each party or a coalition of parties which received mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency during the last election. If a party received mandates of the Seimas members while in a coalition, the candidates may be nominated together with the parties in this coalition; 2) a party or a coalition of parties which during the last election to the council of the municipality to the territory whereof the polling district belongs received mandates of the municipal council members according to the list of the nominated candidates.
12. If a party may nominate candidates in accordance with the results of both the elections to the Seimas and municipal elections it shall nominate its candidates only according to the results of one of said elections, whichever it chooses. If one of the parties which took part in an election coalition fails to nominate candidates or refuses to nominate them, or if it chooses to nominate candidates according to the results of another election when the coalition was formed, the other parties in this coalition have the right to nominate candidates without the participation of said party.
13. A party shall submit its list of candidates for the members of polling district committees to the constituency polling district committee no later than 48 days prior to the election.
14. Polling district committees for the period of the election shall be formed by constituency electoral committees no later than 45 days before the elections. If the candidate nominated by the party meets the requirements of this Law the constituency electoral committee may not turn him down.
15. If no candidates have been nominated or the nominated candidates do not meet the requirements of this Law, or if they have been nominated after the expiration of the prescribed time limit, constituency electoral committees may reduce the number of members of the polling district committee established earlier or may ask the mayor to nominate the lacking number of candidates to the polling district committees. The candidates nominated by the mayor may not be party members or become party members until the expiration of the term of office of an electoral committee member. If during a meeting of a constituency electoral committee which appoints a member of the polling district committee nominated by the mayor no less than three members of the constituency electoral committee object to the appointment of the candidate, this candidate may not be appointed a member of the committee. A polling district committee must be made up of at least 5 members.
16. Chairmen of polling district committees shall be appointed from among the members of the committee by constituency electoral committees.
17. During its first meeting the polling district committee shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary of the committee. Article
18. Powers of the Polling District Committee The polling district committee shall: 1) receive electoral rolls from the constituency electoral committee, provide conditions for voters, representatives of parties at the elections to familiarise themselves with said lists, hand or deliver in some other way certificates to voters, inform the constituency electoral committee about inaccuracies noticed in the electoral roll of a polling district; 2) investigate complaints about the errors made in electoral rolls; 3) in the manner prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission, monitor postal voting conducted in the territory of a polling district in order to create conditions for voting by post in all healthcare (except ambulatory), social care and guardianship institutions, military units and units of the internal service, arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) and penal institutions situated in the territory of the polling district, as well as organise voting at home; 4) together with a representative of the municipality administration make arrangements in accordance with the requirements set forth in this Law about a timely preparation of the polling station, voting booths and ballot boxes; 5) organise voting in the polling district on the day of elections; 6) count votes and draw up the vote counting record of the polling district; 7) consider the complaints of the voters and observers of their electoral district on issues concerning preparation of the elections, organisation of polls, vote counting, drawing up a vote counting record, and adopt decisions related to them; and 8) exercise other powers provided for in this Law. Article
19. A Written Pledge of Electoral Committee Members
20. A member of an electoral committee, its chairman shall take office upon having given a written pledge.
21. The Central Electoral Commission shall establish the procedure for giving a written pledge for members and chairmen of constituency and polling district committees. When giving a written pledge, a person shall have the right to choose one of the following texts of a written pledge, established in this paragraph, and to give a written pledge pursuant to the chosen text. The following texts of a written text of a member of an electoral committee shall read as follows: 1) “I, (first name, name), swear to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania, observe its Constitution and laws, in good faith and conscientiously perform my duties in the electoral committee and refrain from actions violating laws and the human rights. So help me God.” 2) “I, (first name, name), swear to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania, observe its Constitution and laws, in good faith and conscientiously perform my duties in the electoral committee and refrain from actions violating laws and the human rights.”
22. The person who has given the written pledge shall sign the text of the pledge. The text of the written pledge may not be altered. The written pledge shall be effective for the whole duration of the appointment to work in the electoral committee.
23. The written pledges of the members and chairmen of the electoral committees shall remain in the custody of the electoral committees which have appointed them.
24. When appointing an electoral committee member, the electoral committee shall fix the date by which he must give a written pledge. The person who has not given a written pledge for more than 15 days after his appointment may not commence performing his duties in the electoral committee. Article
25. Organisation of the Work of Electoral Committees
26. Meetings of electoral committees shall be valid provided that at least three-fifths of the members of the committee are in attendance. Decisions of the committees shall be adopted by open vote of the majority of the committee members participating at the meeting. In the event of a tie vote, the committee chairman shall have the casting vote. Committee members who do not agree with the decision shall have the right to give a separate opinion in writing, which shall then be appended to the minutes of the meeting and shall be its constituent part.
27. After the close of elections, the powers of the chairmen and members of constituency electoral committees and of polling district committees shall be suspended. The decision to suspend the powers shall be adopted by the electoral committee which appointed the committee members, provided this committee and its chairman have fulfilled all the tasks assigned to him under law.
28. The chairman or a member of an electoral committee who has given a written pledge shall be prohibited from any form of election campaig or to influence the voters' will in any other way. Individuals who violate this requirement, the written pledge of a member of the electoral committee must be dismissed from the committee and may be held liable in the manner established by law. Article
29. Appeals against Decisions of Electoral Committees Adopted before Closing of the Polls
30. A party which has nominated a candidate for Seimas member, a person running for election to the Seimas, a representative for elections, and an election observer may appeal the decision of the electoral committee which was adopted before closing of the polls or against any other act of the committee: 1) an appeal against a polling district committee decision shall be lodged with the constituency electoral committee; 2) an appeal against the decision of a constituency electoral committee decision shall be lodged with the Central Electoral Commission; 3) an appeal against the Central Electoral Commission decision shall be lodged with the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania.
31. A voter, a representative of a political party or public organisation, who does not agree with the decision of the polling district committee which has been adopted in reply to his appeal about the errors made in the electoral roll which did not let him exercise his right to vote (he has been incorrectly entered on the electoral roll or his name has been struck off the electoral roll or when the data in the list about the voter has been inaccurate), may lodge an appeal against the decision of the polling district committee to the administrative court of an appropriate county.
32. Decisions of the Central Electoral Commission or its other acts may be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania within 5 days after adoption of a decision but no later than before the closing of the polls. Appeals must be investigated within 48 hours of lodging them. Days off shall also be included in this period. The decision of the Tribunal shall become effective from its pronouncement.
33. Appeals lodged not in the manner established by this Article shall not be examined and shall be forwarded to the electoral committee which must examine them. The polling district committee, the constituency electoral committee may not forward to the Central Electoral Commission appeals for investigation which fall within their respective competence and have not been investigated. Article
34. Assistance for Electoral Committees
35. State and municipal institutions and establishments, their officers and staff, enterprises and their employees must assist electoral committees in exercising their powers and must furnish all necessary information to them.
36. State and municipal institutions and establishments, their officers and staff, firms, enterprises and their employees must consider, within 3 days, requests submitted to them by electoral committees and give the electoral committee a reasoned response.
37. Electoral committees may recruit the required number of staff for additional work.
38. State and municipal institutions and establishments, their officers and staff, enterprises and their employees must provide to electoral committees adequate premises and equipment for the preparation and conduct of elections. Article
39. Remuneration of Electoral Committee Members For their work in electoral committees, the chairmen, their deputies and members of the committees shall be remunerated at the rates submitted by the Central Electoral Commission and approved by the Government. Article
40. Changing of the Composition of Electoral Committees
41. The chairman or a member of an electoral committee may be removed from his office in the committee by the electoral committee which approved the composition of said committee, or the Central Electoral Commission.
42. The electoral committee may consider only a reasoned proposal of a party or a coalition to recall a member of the electoral committee whom it has nominated.
43. A new chairman or a member of the electoral committee shall be appointed, as necessary, in accordance with the procedure established by this Law, even after the expiration of the time period specified in paragraph 1 of Article 15, and paragraph 5 of Article
44. CHAPTER IV Electoral rolls and VOTER CERTIFICATES Article
45. Electoral rolls
46. For the organisation and conduct of elections, the following electoral rolls shall be compiled: 1) the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania; 2) single -member constituency electoral rolls; and 3) polling district electoral rolls.
47. Electoral rolls shall be drawn up two times - preliminary and final. These lists may be used only for the organisation and conduct of elections.
48. The procedure for compiling electoral rolls must be such that every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is eligible to vote is entered on electoral rolls. No one may be entered on an electoral roll more than once.
49. At the request of parties which have nominated candidates, general electoral rolls of a concrete constituency may be compiled and furnished for the purposes of election campaign. The parties which are registered in the State Register of Personal Data Processors, may obtain general electoral rolls (in electronic information media or printed). General electoral rolls shall indicate the name, the surname, the address, and the year of birth. The actual expenses for drawing up such electoral rolls shall be paid by the party which has ordered them. If a voter has, in the manner prescribed by legal acts, refused to consent that the address of his place of residence or the year of his birth would be publicly announced in general electoral rolls, only his name and surname shall be indicated in such rolls. The parties may not furnish general electoral rolls to the third parties and to use them for the purposes other than election campaign. The parties must destroy the obtained data within 30 days after the proclamation of the final election results.
50. The electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and single-member constituency electoral rolls which are compiled and kept by the keeper of the population register shall be drawn up in the electronic information media. Electoral rolls of polling districts shall be printed. The procedure and form of drawing-up of electoral rolls, the method of drawing up and the manner of their use shall be determined by the Central Electoral Commission. The following data shall be used when drawing up electoral rolls: 1) in the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania: name, surname, personal number, date of birth, number of the personal document confirming the citizenship, the address of the place of residence and the grounds for and the date of the entry of the said address into the Population Register; 2) in the single-member constituency electoral roll: name, surname, personal number, date of birth, the address of the place of residence and the grounds for and the date of the entry into the Population Register; 3) in the polling district electoral roll: name, surname and the address of the place of residence. The addresses of the voters who have refused to consent that their addresses of the place of residence would be announced in the polling district electoral roll, shall be indicated in the annex to the printed polling district electoral roll, and in the voter certificate.
51. Each voter shall have the right to refuse to consent that the address of his place of residence would be publicly announced in the polling district electoral roll, as well as that the address of his place of residence and the date of birth, or any other datum from the said data would be indicated in the general electoral rolls furnished to the parties. The Central Electoral Commission shall, in conjunction with the keeper of the population register, create conditions for a voter to exercise his right not to consent that the address of his place of residence would be announced in the polling district electoral roll, as well as the address of the place of residence and the date of birth would be announced in general electoral rolls. Article
52. General Procedure for Registering Citizens in Electoral rolls
53. All citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who have the right to vote shall be entered on the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania according to the data of issuance of the document (passport or identity card) certifying citizenship, and according to the population register of the Republic of Lithuania. State and municipal institutions and establishments which issue documents certifying citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, keep information related to the statement of citizens’ residence, register citizens’ death and loss of citizenship are also responsible for a timely and proper updating of the population register of the Republic of Lithuania. The lists compiled according to the data of the population register of the Republic of Lithuania shall be preliminary lists.
54. Compiling, updating and keeping of electoral rolls shall be organised by the Central Electoral Commission on the basis of the information furnished by central and local government institutions and constituency electoral committees.
55. The following persons shall be removed from the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania: a diseased citizen of the Republic of Lithuania; a person who has lost the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania; and a citizen who has been declared legally incompetent by the court.
56. At least 7 days in advance of the election, updated preliminary electoral rolls acknowledged in the manner established by the Central Electoral Commission shall be approved as final electoral rolls. Changes in final electoral rolls may be made only subject to the consent of the Central Electoral Commission. Article
57. Electoral rolls of One-Member Constituencies The electoral roll of a constituency in the magnetic media shall be made by the Central Electoral Commission according to the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and the place of residence of a voter indicated therein (the most recent known place of residence), and shall be delivered to the constituency electoral committee at least 39 days before the election. Electoral rolls of voters residing abroad shall be also drawn up and shall be delivered to diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Lithuania. A list of citizens whose place of residence is unknown shall be also compiled. Article
58. Electoral rolls of Polling Districts The electoral roll of a polling district shall be drawn up by the constituency electoral committee according to the electoral roll of the constituency and the place of residence indicated therein, and shall be delivered to the polling district committee at least 26 days prior to the election. A list of citizens whose place of residence is not specifically known shall be also compiled. Voters, ship crew members and passengers who are unable to return to Lithuania during the period of voting by post or on the election day, shall, according to the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission, be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district in the territory where the ship’s registration harbour or the administration of the ship’s owner is located. Article
59. Public Announcement of Electoral Rolls and Access to Electoral Rolls
60. At least 25 days before the elections, an electoral committee of a polling district, a diplomatic mission shall provide conditions for the voters to have access to electoral rolls of the polling district. Only the data which concern a particular voter and which are contained in the annexes to the electoral roll of the polling district shall be provided to such voter. It shall be prohibited to make copies of the electoral rolls of the polling districts or to copy or disseminate such rolls in any other way. The business hours of electoral committee members as well as the telephone numbers for electors to make inquiries about whether they are entered on the electoral roll must be on display at the entrance to the premises of the electoral committee. Following expiration of the time period for delivering voters’ certificates, as prescribed by this Law, the business hours of the electoral committee of the polling district, its telephones must be on display in stairwell entrances of multi-family apartment houses. The time and place for the voters to exercise their right to have access to electoral rolls shall be on display in a diplomatic mission, at the entrance to the premises of the electoral committee of the polling district.
61. The electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania and electoral rolls of single-member constituencies shall not be announced publicly, however, the information about the entry of a voter on the electoral roll may be provided to the voter by telephone. Article
62. Voter Certificate
63. A voter certificate shall be a document issued by an electoral committee specifying the polling district on the electoral roll whereof a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania is recorded. Electoral committees shall hand in voter certificates signed by the chairman of an electoral committee. A voter himself, or at his request – any other person, may print his voter certificate in accordance with the data of the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania received electronically pursuant to the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission. In this event, the voter himself shall sign his voter certificate, except for the cases when because of the physical handicaps he himself cannot sign it and it is signed by another person chosen by the voter, indicating his name, surname and personal number. One may not vote without a voter certificate (duplicate), except for voting on the ship.
64. A voter certificate shall contain: 1) the voter’s name and surname; 2) the voter’s birth date (year, month, day); 3) the voter’s address; 4) the name and number of a single-member constituency in which the voter votes; 5) the name, number of a polling district on the electoral roll of which the voter has been enetered, as well as the address of a polling station; 6) the number of the voter in the electoral roll of a polling district; 7) the election date, the voting time at a polling station, the note that this certificate is obligatory when voting, other information relevant for the voter or when organising the elections.
65. If a voter requests to issue him with a duplicate of a voter certificate in place of the lost one or of a voter certificate he has not received, a duplicate must be issued to the voter immediately right after the establishment of the data on the voter which must be entered into the certificate. Article
66. Delivery of the Voter Certificate
67. The delivery of voter certificates to voters shall be organised by the polling district committee.
68. Articles 70, 71, 72, and 73 of this Law shall lay down the procedure for delivering voter certificates to voters who are in healthcare (except ambulatory) institutions, social care and guardianship institutions, military units or internal service units, in arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) and penal institutions, as well as to those going abroad.
69. The delivery of a voter certificate shall be noted in the preliminary electoral roll of a polling district. A voter certificate shall be either delivered to the voter personally or to another person who lives together with the voter, or to a neighbour of the voter, who knows the voter and undertakes to deliver the certificate to the voter. The delivery of voter certificates to voters must be finished at least 20 days before the election.
70. The voter who has not received a voter certificate in due time or who has received a voter certificate with incorrect data, must forthwith inform the polling district committee in the territory of which he resides, and to produce his passport or other document confirming his identity to the electoral committee. If the voter is entered on the electoral roll of this polling district, the polling district committee must write out a new voter certificate for the voter and issue it to him immediately. If the voter is not entered on the electoral roll of this polling district, but the address of his residence according to the data of the population register falls within the territory of this polling district or if the voter produces other evidence testifying that he resides within the territory of this polling district, the polling district committee shall ask him to fill out an application form established by the Central Electoral Commission for entering the voter on the electoral roll of this polling district (or this application form may be filled out by a member of the polling district committee). The polling district committee shall forthwith notify about it the constituency electoral committee which must cause to have the voter entered on the basis of this application on the electoral roll of that polling district. The voter certificate shall be issued and delivered to the voter following the updating of the electoral rolls.
71. A constituency electoral committee may, in the manner prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission, issue a voter’s certificate to a voter who is entered on the electoral roll of another constituency, if the said voter cannot return to his permanent place of residence to collect a voter certificate or to obtain it in some other manner. The voter must apply for this in writing. Article
72. Updating of Electoral rolls before Drawing up Final Lists
73. Preliminary electoral rolls shall be updated when transferring a voter from one electoral roll of a constituency or a polling district into another, when removing a voter from or registering him in the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania.
74. A voter shall be transferred from one electoral roll into another if it transpires that the address of his place of residence in the preliminary list is incorrect or it has changed after said list was made.
75. Transferring of a voter from the electoral roll of one polling district into another in the same constituency shall be the responsibility of the constituency electoral committee which shall notify the Central Electoral Commission about the changes made in electoral rolls of polling districts. Transferring of a voter from the electoral roll of one constituency into another shall be the responsibility of the Central Electoral Commission on the recommendation of the constituency electoral committee and the Central Electoral Commission shall notify constituency electoral committees about the changes made. A voter may be entered on or removed from the electoral roll of the Republic of Lithuania only by the Central Electoral Commission in cases specified in Article 26 of this Law. Article
76. Registration of Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania Who Are Staying Abroad in Electoral rolls
77. Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who are staying in other states shall be entered on the electoral roll of the single-member constituency in the territory whereof the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania is situated.
78. A diplomatic mission of the Republic of Lithuania shall, at least 15 days before the election to the Seimas, submit to the Central Electoral Commission the electoral roll compiled in the diplomatic mission, as well as a report about its updating. Added to this list may be the voters who, during the period of voting by post or on the day of elections, are not able to return to Lithuania and are voting in the diplomatic mission. Article
79. Entering on Electoral Rolls of Voters who are in Military Units and Internal Service Units, on Ships, in Arrest Houses, Remand Prisons (Detention Facilities) and Penal Institutions
80. Voters performing the active or alternative service shall be entered on the electoral rolls of the polling district on whose territory they permanently resided before they were summoned for the active or alternative service.
81. Voters serving and working in the national defence system and the internal service shall be entered on the electoral rolls of the polling district within the territory of which they have declared their place of residence.
82. The voters who are aboard a ship and who will be unable to return to Lithuania during the period of voting by post or to be present on the election day, shall be entered on the additional electoral roll of the polling district on whose electoral roll the ship’s crew is entered.
83. Voters who are in arrest houses, remand prisons (detention facilities) or penal institutions shall be entered on the electoral rolls of the polling district within territory of which they have declared their place of residence. If such a person has not declared a place of residence and upon his written request, he shall be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district within the territory of which the penal institution, arrest house or remand prison (detention facility) is situated. A person who declared his place of residence before he has been put into a penal institution, arrest house or remand prison (detention facility), may not be entered on the electoral roll of the polling district within the territory of which the penal institution, arrest house or remand prison (detention facility) is situated. Article
84. Updating Electoral rolls upon Compiling Final Electoral rolls, as well as on the Election Day If following the approval of the final electoral rolls, but no later than until 6:00 p.m. on the election day, a voter who has not been entered on the electoral roll of the polling district addresses the electoral committee of the polling district and submits the passport of the citizen of the Republic of Lithuania with the address of the place of residence recorded therein, or the passport or the identity card and a document concerning his stated place of residence (the place of residence must be attached to the territory of this polling district), the electoral committee of the polling district shall enter the voter on the additional electoral roll of the polling district, shall allow him to vote according to the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission and shall immediately notify the voter’s surname, name, personal code, number of his passport or identity card, and address to the constituency electoral committee. The electoral committee of the constituency shall check whether or not the voter is entered on the electoral roll of the constituency and take measures to guarantee 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 that vote shall be counted which was put in the ballot box of the polling station. 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. Article
85. Complaints about Electoral rolls
86. A voter or a representative of the party may lodge complaints with the electoral committee of the polling district no later than 7 days before the election about the errors made in electoral rolls due to which the voter has not been entered on the electoral roll in the manner prescribed by this Law or has been entered on several electoral rolls. The electoral committee of the polling district must investigate the complaint and adopt a decision thereon either immediately or within 2 days of the receipt thereof, if more than 10 days are left until the election day.
87. The decision of the electoral committee of a polling district may be within 3 days appealed against to the administrative tribunal of an appropriate county, which shall investigate the complaint within 3 days. The decision of the tribunal shall be final.
88. Complaints and comments shall not be investigated after the expiration of the term established for filing comments or complaints.
89. Electoral committees of polling districts shall report to the constituency electoral committee about the received complaints and changes made in the electoral rolls by the court’s decision, and the electoral committee of the constituency shall report to the Central Electoral Commission as soon as possible but no later than within 12 hours. CHAPTER V NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR SEIMAS MEMBER Article
90. Nomination of Candidates for the Seimas Member
91. Candidates for the Seimas member may be nominated by: 1) in single-member constituencies or the multi-member constituency - the party registered pursuant to the Law on Political Parties and Political Organisations no later than 65 days prior to the election,; 2) in a single-member constituency - every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who qualifies to be elected as a Seimas member, may nominate himself for the Seimas member, provided his candidature is supported by signatures of no less than 1,000 voters of that constituency.
92. In the multi-member constituency parties shall nominate their candidates by presenting a list of candidates in which candidates are recorded in the succession established by the party. Unless the statutes of a party provide otherwise, candidates in single-member constituency and the list of the candidates, recorded in succession, in the multi-member constituency must be approved at the congress or conference of the party. The list of candidates (joint list) must not include less than 25 and more than 141 candidates. Article
93. Application Documents for the Nomination of Candidates
94. Parties must file with the Central Electoral Committee the following application documents: 1) an application for the participation in the election; 2) copies of their registration papers; the programme and the election programme of the party may be submitted as well; 3) the list of candidates nominated in the multi-member constituency; 4) the list of candidates nominated in a single-member constituency; 5) an obligation signed by each nominated candidate to terminate, if elected, his employment or any other activities incompatible with the status of Seimas member, the consent to be nominated by this party in a specific constituency, a questionnaire for a candidate for Seimas member filled in by the candidate himself, as well as the extract containing the basic data from the income tax return and the return of assets, presented to the State Tax Inspectorate, approved by that Tax Inspectorate to which the returns have been submitted. The party shall also have the right to submit photographs and autobiography of each candidate; 6) an authorisation for a representative for elections to represent it in the Central Electoral Commission; the party shall also have the right to grant authorisation to represent it and the candidates nominated by it in the electoral committees of constituencies; 7) documents certifying that the election deposit has been paid; 8) if the party, political organisation nominated candidates or candidates’ lists during the preceding elections to the Seimas or municipal councils, it shall have the right to submit a copy of the report published in the press, which had to be published in pursuance of the laws on the elections to the Seimas and Municipal Councils, concerning the sources and use of funds for election campaign; 9) a copy of the financial statement for the preceding year, which had to be presented to the tax inspectorate pursuant to the Law on Political Parties and Political Organisations, which has been approved by the tax inspectorate to which this return was submitted; the party may also submit a copy of the account (report), which had to be publicly announced according to the Law on Political Parties and Organisations, concerning the budget revenue and the sources thereof, expenditures and their purpose.
95. The person who decides to nominate himself for the candidates for Seimas member, must submit to the electoral committee of the constituency the following documents: 1) application concerning his nominating himself for the candidate for Seimas member in this constituency; 2) a signed obligation to terminate, upon his election, his employment or any other activities incompatible with the status of Seimas member, a questionnaire for a candidate for Seimas member filled in by the candidate himself, as well as the extract containing the principal data from the income tax return and the return of assets, submitted to the State Tax Inspectorate, approved by that Tax Inspectorate to which the returns have been submitted. He shall also have the right to submit his photographs, autobiography; 3) a document certifying that election deposit has been paid. An authorisation by a candidate for represent him in the Central Electoral Commission and the electoral committee of the constituency may also be presented.
96. The constituency electoral committee shall within three days issue to the citizen who has decided to nominate himself as candidate for Seimas member individual forms with the first name and name of the candidate for the collection of voter signatures to collect signatures of voters of that constituency who support his self-nomination. The citizen who has decided to nominate himself as candidate for Seimas shall either himself collect voter signatures or charge other persons having the right to vote to perform the task. The person who collected the signatures shall put his signature at the end of the voter signatures collection form and shall be responsible for the collection of signatures according to the procedure laid down in this Law. In the form for the collection of signatures the citizen who supports the person’s self-nomination must himself fill in the following data: name, first name, number of the passport or the identity card, date of birth, address of the permanent place of residence, and sign it. Where a citizen who supports the candidate’s self-nomination is unable, due to some physical disability or for some other reasons, to personally write down the required data in the form for signature collection, he may request any other citizen with the right to vote, except for the person collecting the signatures, to do this for him. In such an event a statement of the form prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission shall be drawn up and attached to the form for the collection of signatures. A citizen who supports the person’s self-nomination as candidate and has no physical disabilities which would preclude him from filling in his data must himself write down the data in the form for the collection of signatures. It shall be prohibited to bribe voters who supported self-nomination, to give or promise to give remuneration for supporting the candidate’s self-nomination also to demand under threat that the person put his signature or in any other way violate the principle of voluntariness. The candidate must return the forms for the collection of signatures to the constituency electoral committee not later than 40 days before the election. Upon receiving the forms for the collection of signatures, the constituency electoral committee shall verify them within 7 days. The constituency electoral committee shall count the number of signatures of the constituency voters who supported the citizen’s self-nomination. The following signatures shall not be counted: the signatures of persons with no right to vote, of voters who are not entered on the electoral roll of the constituency; of persons who failed to record all the data prescribed by this Law; if incorrect data are recorded; all signatures of the citizen who has signed for the self-nomination of the person several times. If it is established that the citizens’ signatures have been forged, that the principle of voluntariness or other requirements of this Law have been violated during signature collection, the constituency electoral committee shall recommend the Central Electoral Commission not to register the person as a candidate for the members of the Seimas. If it turn out, upon deducting the invalid signatures, that the number of signatures established in this Law has been collected in the forms for the collection of signatures, the constituency electoral committee shall recommend to the Central Electoral Commission to register the person as a candidate for Seimas member.
97. In the Seimas member’s questionnaire a citizen who has nominated himself or has been nominated as a candidate for Seimas member must fill in the following data himself: name, first name, number of the passport or the identity card, personal code, date of birth, address of the permanent place of residence, whether or not he has an unserved term of the court-imposed sentence, whether or not he is in the active or alternative national defence service, whether or not he is an officer, non-commissioned officer or re-enlistee of the national defence system, police and the internal affairs service, who has not retired from service, as well as an officer of other military-type or security service, who is on the payroll. Other questions, additionally established by the Central Electoral Commission, may also be included in the Seimas member’s questionnaire, to which the person is not bound to give answers. A candidate for Seimas member must also inform in writing the Central Electoral Commission whether or not he is or was and when a citizen of any other state (other states), and if such is the case, he must present a document confirming the citizenship of any other state (other states), and at the request of the Central Electoral Commission – a document issued by competent institutions of the Republic of Lithuania, any other state (other states), pertaining to the renunciation or the loss of the citizenship of any other state (other states), as well as a written consent of an appropriate form and content so that the Central Electoral Commission might obtain the information from the competent institutions of the Republic of Lithuania, any other state (other states), concerning the candidate’s for Seimas member citizenship of any other state (other states) which he has or had, and the renunciation of loss thereof.
98. The filing of application documents shall commence 65 days before and shall end at 5:00 p.m. 34 days before the day of the election. The documents filed after the deadline for filing the application documents may not be recognised as application documents Article
99. Registration of Candidates for the Seimas Member
100. Upon the commencement of filing of the lists of candidates, at the request of the Central Electoral Commission the Ministry of Justice shall, within one day, confirm officially which parties have been registered, the activities of which parties have been suspended or terminated.
101. Upon receiving the application documents of a party, the Central Electoral Commission must not later than on the next working day apply to the Ministry of Justice for the confirmation of the fact of the registration of the party and the validity of the submitted statutes. The Ministry of Justice must give a written reply within two days and present to the Central Electoral Commission a copy of the valid statutes.
102. While checking the application documents filled in by a candidate for Seimas member, the Central Electoral Commission shall determine whether or not the candidate meets the requirements of Article 2 of this Law. When necessary, it may appeal to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Interior, Justice or other competent institutions of the Republic of Lithuania or foreign states to furnish the data important for registering the candidate. Such request of the Central Electoral Commission must be considered as a matter of great urgency, and a written reply must be given within 5 days, but not later than 32 days before the election.
103. After the Central Electoral Commission has checked out and established that all application documents, specified in this Law, have been submitted and that they meet the requirements of this Law, it must adopt a decision concerning the registration of a candidate or refusal to register the said candidate within 10 days following submitting of the application documents, but not less than 31 days prior to the election.
104. If not all application documents, specified in this Law, have been submitted or there are any faults in them, the Central Electoral Commission must immediately inform the appropriate representative for elections about such fact.
105. If following the registration of a candidate for Seimas member, the Central Electoral Commission establishes that the candidate does not meet the requirements laid down in Article 2 of this Law, or the candidate refuses to give a written consent referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 38 of this Law, the Central Electoral Commission shall cancel the registration of such candidate for Seimas member, provided that not less than 15 days are left until the election. Article
106. A Representative for the Election
107. The party, the citizen who has nominated himself and has been registered as a candidate for Seimas member shall authorise a representative for the election to represent them on all issues in the Central Electoral Commission or the constituency electoral committee. In meetings of an electoral committee he shall have the right of deliberative vote and the right to express a separate opinion on all issues under consideration. The representative for elections shall have all the rights of the election observer in the territory of the constituency in the electoral committee whereof he is authorised to represent. Authorisation by parties to represent them in electoral committees may be filed with the Central Electoral Commission the following day after the formation of an appropriate electoral committee. If the candidature of the representative for elections meets the requirements of this Law, the Central Electoral Commission shall, within 3 days register, the authorisation given to him and shall issue the certificate of a representative for the election. The authorisation for a representative for the election shall expire after the lapse of 20 days following the announcement of the final results of the election. The powers of a representative for the election in an appropriate electoral committee shall also lapse 20 days following the presentation of the application documents, provided that the party, political organisation does not have a candidate (candidates) in the territory of that constituency.
108. Until the election day, the party, the citizen who has nominated himself as a candidate may revoke an authorisation at any time and authorise another person to be a representative for the election. In this case a representative for the election must be registered, a certificate must be issued to him, and the registration of the previous representative for the election must be terminated within 3 days. Article
109. Election Deposit
110. The election deposit for one candidate for Seimas member to be registered in a single-member constituency shall be equal to one most recently announced average monthly wage of the national economy (AMW). In order to register one new candidate in a single-member constituency instead of the candidate whose application documents have been revoked or who has revoked the documents himself the required deposit shall be in the amount of one AMW.
111. The election deposit left in order to register one list of candidates for the Seimas member in the multi-member constituency shall be in the amount of twenty AMWs. A change of the place of one candidate on the list or entry of a new candidate on the list shall be in the amount of one AMW. Joining the candidates’ lists shall be in the amount of 0.3 AMW for each joint list.
112. Election deposits for registration of the list of candidates shall be doubled for the party which at the preceding elections to the Seimas or municipal councils nominated candidates or the list (lists) of candidates and did not furnish a copy of the report published in the press about the sources and use of the funds for election campaign.
113. Within 40 days following the announcement of the final election results, the Central Electoral Commission shall refund the election deposit to the party or the citizen who has furnished it, if: 1) the candidate nominated as Seimas member or the person who nominated himself as a candidate for Seimas member is elected as a Seimas member in a single-member constituency ; and 2) the list (joint list) of nominated candidates becomes eligible for distribution of mandates in the multi-member constituency and the report on the sources and use of the funds for election campaign, which has to be published pursuant to this Law, has been published in the press.
114. The non-refundable deposits shall be transferred to the State budget. Article
115. Prohibition for One Person to be a Candidate in Several Constituencies or Several Lists of Candidates
116. Each candidate for a member of the Seimas may be entered in the list of candidates nominated by only one party in the multi-member constituency.
117. The person who is entered in a list of candidates in the multi-member constituency shall have the right to be at the same time nominated as a candidate for Seimas member in one single-member constituency as well.
118. If a person has given his consent to be entered in the list of candidates nominated by more than one party in the multi-member constituency, or if he has given his consent to be nominated (or has nominated himself) in more than one single-member constituency , he shall be struck off all the lists of candidates in the multi-member constituency and of all single-member constituencies. Article
119. Joining the Lists of Candidates Before the deadline for filing application documents several parties may join the lists of candidates nominated by them. In order to do so, they must submit a statement to the Central Electoral Commission concerning the joining of the lists of candidates, indicating the name of the coalition. The joint list in which the candidates are entered in a newly established succession, as well as the document confirming that the election deposit for the joining of the lists of candidates has been furnished shall be submitted as well. Only those persons can be put down on the joint list who are on the lists which are being joined together. The name of the coalition must include the word “coalition” and may not contain any references to the names of the parties which do not form this coalition. The joint list shall be regarded as one list. The same party may not participate in more than one coalition. Article
120. The Right to Withdraw or Supplement Electoral Application Documents
121. A party or election coalition, as well as a person who has been nominated or who has nominated himself as a candidate for Seimas member in single-member constituency or is registered in the list of a political organisation, may at any time, but no later than 25 days before the election, declare their application documents fully or partially withdrawn. A party or election coalition shall notify the Central Electoral Commission thereof by a statement, the citizen - by a notarised statement and the relevant representatives for elections in the Central Electoral Commission shall be notified thereof. If application documents are withdrawn, the election deposit may be refunded only after the election, provided it becomes refundable as stipulated in Article 41 of this Law. It shall be allowed to additionally submit, before the deadline for the filing of application documents set in paragraph 5 of a 38 of this Law, new application documents when altering the sequence of candidates on a list of candidates or when nominating new candidates in single-member constituencies.
122. If the application documents are withdrawn by a party that has formed a coalition, the candidates nominated by it shall be struck off the joint list of candidates, and, if the name of the coalition contains a reference to its name, the name of the coalition shall be changed. In such case it is necessary to notify in writing the representatives for elections of the coalition partners in the Central Electoral Commission. If, upon withdrawal of the electoral application documents, the candidates of only one party remain on the coalition’s joint list of candidates, they will participate in the election only as the nominees of that party.
123. If, upon withdrawal of application documents or annulment of the candidates’ registration, there are less than 20 candidates left on the list of candidates, the registration of all the candidates of this list shall be annulled. Article
124. Publication of the Names and Lists of Candidates, Beginning of Election Campaign
125. With not less than 30 days prior to the election, the Central Electoral Commission shall publish in the Valstybės žinios (the Official Gazette) the lists of candidates of parties and coalitions which participate in the election, election numbers assigned to the lists of candidates by drawing lots, election numbers assigned to the candidates on the above lists as well as the candidates nominated in single-member constituencies. The Central Electoral Commission shall hand over the certificates of candidates for Seimas members with the election numbers assigned to the candidates to the representative for elections. At the moment of its assignment the candidate’s election number coincides with the candidate’s successive number on the list of nominated candidates (joint list). The candidate’s assigned election number may not be changed until the announcement of the election results.
126. Election campaign shall commence from the day of publication of the lists of candidates. CHAPTER VI GUARANTIES OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CANDIDATES FOR SEIMAS MEMBER Article
127. The Right of a Candidate for Seimas Member to Speak at Meetings, to Use the Mass Media
128. After the commencement of election campaign, candidates for Seimas members in constituencies shall have equal rights to speak at voters' meetings or any other meetings, gatherings, conferences as well as through the state mass media, and to announce their respective election programmes.
129. Heads of state and municipal institutions and establishments, also municipality mayors or persons authorised by them must help candidates for Seimas member to organise meetings with voters, to obtain necessary information, with the exception of the information which is considered confidential according to laws of the Republic of Lithuania and the resolutions of the Government. Article
130. Liability for the Violation of this Law Persons who by force, threat, deception, bribery or otherwise prevent voters from implementing the right to vote or to be elected to the Seimas, to organise and carry out election campaign, who have violated the procedure of election campaign, announced or otherwise disseminated fraudulent data about a candidate for Seimas member or prevented a candidate from meeting with voters, or who have otherwise violated this Law, as well as the members of electoral committees or other officers who have falsified, damaged, destroyed, stolen or hidden election documents, made an incorrect vote count, violated the secrecy of voting or otherwise violated this Law, shall be held liable under laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
131. The Right of a Candidate for Seimas Member to be Relieved from Work or his Official Duties during the Period of Election Campaign
132. Upon his request, a candidate for Seimas member may be relieved from work or other service duties for the period of organising and conducting election campaign for the election to the Seimas, but for not longer than 1 month.
133. The provision of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to candidates for Seimas member who performs the duties of the Seimas member, the member of the Government or the President of the Republic. Article
134. The Immunity of a Candidate for Seimas Member
135. Without the consent of the Central Electoral Committee, during the election campaig as well as until the first meeting of a newly elected Seimas (after the run-off elections or by-election — until the announcement of the final election results), a candidate for Seimas member may not be found criminally liable, arrested, his freedom may not be restricted in any other way.
136. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to candidates for Seimas member who perform the duties of the Seimas member, the member of the Government or the judge. An issue of immunity of such persons during the election campaign shall be resolved in the manner prescribed by the Constitution and the laws. CHAPTER VII ELECTION CAMPAIGN Article
137. Basic Principles of Election campaign
138. The conditions prescribed by this Law to start election campaign shall be provided for parties and candidates who have nominated themselves from the day the election campaign starts. Election campaign expenses and political advertising expenses incurred before the start of election campaign, must be declared in the manner prescribed by law and may not exceed the maximum permissible amount of election campaign expenses set by law.
139. Election campaign may be conducted in any form or manner, provided it does not violate the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Lithuania, conflict with the morals, justice or societal cohesion, contravene fair and respectable elections. Article
140. Conditions and Procedure for the Use of the Mass Media
141. Parties that have submitted lists of candidates for elections, candidates in single-member constituencies shall be granted the right to use state mass media free of charge. The rules for preparing programs for election campaign shall be approved and the actual duration and time of the Lithuanian national radio and television programs shall be established by the Central Electoral Committee upon agreement with the head of the Lithuanian national radio and television. The Central Electoral Commission shall allocate the time of the programs distributing it in such a manner that the following principles of equality are preserved: among the lists of candidates in the multi-member constituency; among single-member constituencies; among candidates in a single-member constituency. Each list of candidates shall be allocated no less than one hour of the state (national) radio time and no less than one hour of the state (national) television time for a debate with representatives with other list or lists of candidates. Two and more groups of representatives of lists of candidates who participate in a debate shall be formed by mutual agreement, and in the case of failure to do so - by drawing lots. Each candidate who has been nominated or has nominated himself in a single-member constituency shall be allocated at least 5 minutes of the state (national) radio. In such radio programmes candidates shall participate in a debate held for the candidates of an appropriate single-member constituency. If only one candidate participates in a programme, he shall have a discussion with a radio programme host.
142. The election programme of a list of candidates shall be published by the Central Electoral Commission within 20 days after its submission.
143. The election programme of the candidate who stands for election in a single-member constituency shall be published by the electoral committee of the constituency no later than 15 days prior to the election. The procedure for publishing election programmes shall be established by the Central Electoral Commission.
144. Election campaign in the commercial mass media shall be restricted only by the size of special election accounts. The procedure for specifying the election campaign on television and radio as well as in periodicals by indicating the source of funds or whether the election campaign is carried out free of charge, shall be established by the Central Electoral Commission: in respect of the election campaign on television and radio – on the recommendation of the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania, in respect of the election campaign in periodicals – on the recommendation of the Inspector of Journalistic Ethics.
145. It shall be prohibited to set up and communicate outdoor political advertising: 1) on the buildings occupied by state administration, law-enforcement and other state institutions and establishments; 2) on means of transport and public transport; 3) in motorways and their sanitary protection areas, as well as in streets and along the side thereof, if it might block technical traffic regulation means and road signs, decrease visibility thereof, blind traffic participants, detract attention thereof, thus increasing the danger to traffic participants, and also it is prohibited to use advertising that imitates road signs; 4) on sculptures and monuments; 5) within 50 metres around the building which houses a polling station; 6) without permission of the owner of the land, construction works or other structures on or in which it is being set up.
146. Outdoor political advertising on/in protected territories and immovable cultural properties, as well as their territories shall be permitted only upon co-ordination with a state agency responsible for protection of cultural properties and an agency authorised by the founder of the protected territory.
147. In order to communicate political advertising in compliance with the principle of equality of candidates and lists of candidates, each shall be provided with at least one special place within the territory of every polling district. According to this Law the outdoor political advertising shall be political advertising communicated by means of outdoor advertising. Political advertising communicated in public places, buildings, means of transport shall be regarded as outdoor political advertising. A municipality shall with its own funds make fit places of outdoor political advertising. Outdoor political advertising shall be produced and communicated with the funds of independent participants of political campaign.
148. Places in which outdoor political advertising may be set up within the territory of a constituency must be selected and presented for approval to the electoral committee of the constituency by the director of the municipal administration not later than 35 days prior to an election day. If stands, screens or provided places are not suitable for outdoor political advertising or are not made properly fit, the electoral committee of the constituency shall request that suitable places be provided or that provided places be made properly fit. An equal area of advertising, indicated by the chairman of the committee of the constituency, shall be reserved for all lists or candidates and candidates of that single-member constituency (parties shall be arranged in accordance with the numbers of the lists, and the names of the candidates shall be alphabetised) in each place designated for outdoor political advertising. This area must not exceed for each the format A
149. Outdoor political advertising shall be communicated by political parties, candidates or persons authorised by them in the areas of advertising provided for them. If outdoor political advertising is communicated in the places which are not designated for this purpose, the director of the municipal administration must ensure immediate removal of such advertising.
150. Persons who violate the requirements of the procedure for setting up and communicating outdoor political advertising shall be held liable under the law.
151. All disputes concerning the election campaign shall be settled by the Central Electoral Commission in compliance with this Law. Article
152. Releasing the Material Compromising a Candidate for the Seimas Member and the Candidate’s Countering Opinion
153. If during election campaign the mass media release the material compromising a candidate for Seimas member (such data may be released not later than: in a means of the mass media which is issued more frequently than three times a week - 5 days before the election, in other means of the mass media - 10 days before the election, but in any case the material compromising a candidate may be released not later than in the last but one issue of a means of the mass media before the election), it must provide the candidate with a possibility to express a countering opinion which consists of a short exposition of the released compromising material and the candidate’s answer. The extent of the countering opinion usually may not exceed the volume of the compromising material by more than three times. The means of the mass media must publicise the candidate’s countering opinion within 7 days after it has been expressed, but not later than 2 days before the prohibition of election campaign becomes effective. If the means of the mass media itself cannot publicise the candidate’s countering opinion during the period of time set by the Law, it must with its own funds publicise the candidate’s countering opinion in another means of the mass media.
154. The material which is aimed at influencing voters not to vote for an individual candidate and which contains information negatively describing the candidate shall be considered as material compromising the candidate. An opinion about the candidate announced in the mass media (unlike hard news, criteria of truth shall not apply to an opinion), including a negative opinion, shall not be considered as compromising material and shall not entitle the candidate to demand announcing a countering opinion. The candidate may be refused publicising of a countering opinion also in cases when: the released material doe not concern him personally; the released material about him is not compromising; the compromising material about the candidate is released by him or by another candidate who is nominated on the same list of candidates or is nominated by the same party; the material contains no information describing the candidate; the candidate has already exercised the right to a countering opinion.
155. If the candidate has duly furnished the countering opinion to the means of the mass media, but it has not been announced, by the decision of the Central Electoral Commission the candidate’s countering opinion shall be broadcast on the Lithuanian national radio or television and shall be paid for at the rates of advertisement fees. In this event, the means of the mass media must pay the Central Electoral Commission double the amount of the broadcast costs.
156. If the compromising material about the candidate was released during the period of time when its release is not permitted under this Law, by the decision of the Central Electoral Commission the candidate’s countering opinion shall be broadcast on the Lithuanian national radio or television and shall be paid for at the rates of advertisement fees. In this event the means of the mass media must pay the Central Electoral Commission three times the amount of the broadcast costs.
157. In all cases a countering opinion shall not be announced during the period when election campaign is prohibited. Announcement of a countering opinion shall not exempt the means of the mass media from liability under the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
158. When the candidate’s countering opinion is made public on the decision of the Central Electoral Commission, the costs thereof set by this Law shall be recovered without suit from that means of the mass media which has released the material compromising the candidate during the period when such release is not permitted or which has not announced the candidate’s countering opinion. Article
159. Releasing the Material Compromising a Party which has Nominated a List of Candidates and the Countering Opinion
160. If during the election campaign the mass media release the material compromising a party which has nominated a list of candidates (such data may be released not later than: in a means of the mass media which is issued more frequently than three times a week - 5 days before the election, in other means of the mass media - 10 days before the election, but in any case the material compromising the party which has nominated a list of candidates may be released not later than in the last but one issue of a means of the mass media before the election), it must provide the party with a possibility to express a countering opinion. The countering opinion shall consist of a short exposition of the released compromising material and the party’s reply. The extent of the countering opinion usually may not exceed the volume of the compromising material more than three times. The means of the mass media must announce the countering opinion within 7 days after it has been expressed, but not later than 2 days before the prohibition of election campaign becomes effective. If the means of the mass media itself cannot announce the countering opinion during the period of time set by this Law, it must make arrangements to publicise the countering opinion with its own funds in another means of the mass media.
161. The material which is aimed at influencing voters not to vote for the candidates nominated by a specific party and which contains information negatively describing the party (its branch or division) shall be considered as material compromising the party. An opinion about the party announced in the mass media (unlike hard news, criteria of truth shall not apply to an opinion), including a negative opinion, shall not be considered as compromising material and shall not grant the party the right to demand announcement of a countering opinion. The demand to announce a countering opinion may also be rejected in cases when: the released material doe not concern the party; the released material is not compromising; the compromising material about the party is released by a candidate nominated by the party; the material contains no information characterising the party; the party has already exercised the right to a countering opinion.
162. The party shall give its countering opinion to the means of the mass media through its representative for elections at the Central Electoral Commission or through its representative for the elections at the constituency electoral committee. In the event the representative for elections has given the countering opinion to the means of the mass media by the due date, but it has not been made public, the countering opinion shall be broadcast, on the decision of the Central Electoral Commission, on the Lithuanian national radio or television and shall be paid for at the rates of advertisement fees. In this event, the means of the mass media must pay the Central Electoral Commission double the amount of the broadcast costs.
163. If the compromising material was released during the time period when its release is not permitted under this Law, by the decision of the Central Electoral Commission the candidate’s countering opinion shall be broadcast on the Lithuanian national radio or television and shall be paid for at the rates of advertisement fees. In this event the means of the mass media must pay the Central Electoral Commission three times the amount of the broadcast costs.
164. In any case a countering opinion shall not be announced during the period when election campaign is prohibited. Announcement of a countering opinion shall not exempt the means of the mass media from liability under the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
165. When the countering opinion is released on the decision of the Central Electoral Commission, the costs thereof set by this Law shall be recovered without suit from that means of the mass media which has released the compromising material during the period when such release is not permitted or has not announced the candidate’s countering opinion. Article
166. Prohibition to Take Advantage of one’s Official Position to Conduct Election Campaign
167. Anyone shall be prohibited from taking advantage of his official position in state or municipal institutions, establishments or organisations, as well as in the state or municipal mass media for any form of election campaign or from instructing other persons to do so or from trying to exert influence upon the will of voters in any other manner, taking advantage of his official position. State or municipal officials, public servants shall be prohibited from taking advantage of their official position in order to provide exclusive conditions for campaigning for themselves or for the party. A person who violates the provisions of this Article may be held administratively or criminally liable in accordance with the procedure laid down by law.
168. If a person is a candidate for Seimas member, he can use the state or mass media only according to the procedure set forth in Article 51 of this Law. If the fulfilment of their duties requires to release important news to the mass media, they can do so only at a press conference. State or municipal mass media or programmes of the mass media financed from the state or municipal funds may broadcast only a recording of the conference or a portion thereof which contains no elements of election campaign. Article
169. Financing of Political Campaigns of Elections to the Seimas Financing of political campaigns of elections to the Seimas shall be regulated by the Law on Financing of Political Parties and Political Campaigns, as well as Control over such Financing. Article
170. Prohibition of Election Campaign on an Election Day
171. Election campaign, irrespective of its methods, forms and measures, shall be prohibited 30 hours before the beginning of an election and on the election day until the closing of the polls, with the exception of permanent visual election campaign material in the places intended for this, provided that it was displayed at least 48 hours prior to the beginning of the election. During the period when election campaign is prohibited no visual election campaign material (with the exception of those issued by the Central Electoral Commission) may be displayed in a polling station or within 50 meters around the building in which a polling station is situated.
172. Information about the course of elections, their importance for the life of the country, the number of voters who have come to vote, the documents necessary to have when voting, invitation to come to vote or any other information which does not urge not to participate in elections, vote for or against a candidate or a list of candidates, shall not be regarded as election campaign.
173. Persons who have violated the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall be punishable under law. CHAPTER VIII PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES OF THE ORGANISATION OF ELECTIONS Article
174. Establishment of Election Document Specimens The Central Electoral Commission shall establish specimens and forms of voter certificates, ballot papers, posters of a candidate in a single-member constituency and lists of candidates in the multi-member constituency with the data about a candidate (candidates), voucher envelopes and outer envelopes for voting by post, other documents, blanks, questionnaires, official envelopes, packages, seals used in elections, as well as the specimens for filling them out. Article
175. Ballot Papers
176. During the election to the Seimas, each voter shall be presented with two ballot papers: one for voting for a candidate in a certain single-member constituency , and the other for voting for a list of candidates in the multi-member constituency. Instructions for the voter regarding the procedure for filling out the ballot paper must be printed on the ballot-paper which must also contain a special space designated for indicating the voter’s will.
177. The names of all candidates for Seimas members shall be placed on the ballot paper of single-member constituencies in alphabetic order on the same space and in the same type (types). Such ballot papers shall indicate the first name and name of each of the candidates for Seimas member, as well as the name of the party which has nominated him or it shall indicate “Nominated himself”.
178. A ballot paper of the multi-member constituency shall contain all the lists of candidates arranged according to the assigned election numbers in an increasing order on the same space and in the same type (types). The type shall be chosen of such size which would best fit to fill the space designated for inscription. A ballot paper shall contain the name of the party, coalition (indicated in its application documents). The name and surname of the head of the party shall be written down in brackets under the name of the party, and the names of the parties comprising the coalition shall be written down in brackets under the name of the coalition. At the party’s request, a black-and-white image of the emblem (sign) of this party, registered in the manner prescribed by law, may be placed by the name of the party. In such case, a sample of this emblem (sign) shall be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission together with the application documents. All the lists of the parties, coalitions (candidates’ names and surnames) shall be distributed to voters in the manner prescribed by the Central Electoral Commission and located in each voting booth.
179. The second part of the ballot paper of the multi-member constituency shall contain 5 designated spaces where the voter shall record the election numbers of the chosen candidates.
180. Aboard the ship ballot papers shall be printed in accordance with the description transmitted in a radiogram by the Central Electoral Commission. Aboard the ship the names of the candidates shall not be indicated on the ballot paper of the multi-member constituency and the place for expressing the voter’s opinion of the candidates shall not be designated. Article
181. Delivery of Ballot Papers
182. Electoral committees of constituencies shall deliver ballot papers and envelopes to central post offices at least 2 days prior to the beginning of voting by post, ballot papers to polling stations - 12 hours preceding the opening of the polls.
183. At the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Lithuania, voters must be provided with free access to ballot papers and envelopes for voting by post at least 20 days before the election. Aboard ships voters must be provided with free access to the text of ballot papers not less than 15 days prior to the election.
184. The Central Electoral Commission shall be responsible for the publishing of ballot papers and envelopes for voting by post, as well as for the keeping of records and delivery thereof without violating the fixed dates. Article
185. Preparation of Polling Stations
186. A polling station of the polling district must be completely prepared for elections not later than 12 hours before the opening of the polls. The electoral committee must also have counted all ballot papers received from the constituency electoral committee and drawn up their acceptance report by the prescribed time. In the polling station of a polling district there must be a ballot box, secret voting booth (booths) in which a voter could fill ballot papers in private. The following material, issued by the Central Electoral Commission, must be displayed in the polling station: lists of candidates eligible in the multi-member constituency; election posters of candidates eligible in a single-member constituency. The text of this Law must be accessible in each polling district. The election campaign material, except for the material issued by the Central Electoral Commission, must be removed from the polling station, passageways leading to or out of it (corridors) and from the territory within 50 metres of the building in which the polling station is situated. Working places for the electoral committee members and places for election observers must be also organised. Upon completion of preparations the polling station shall be closed, sealed, left under the police protection and the chairman of the electoral committee of the polling district shall inform the constituency electoral committee thereof.
187. Other requirements for the preparation of polling stations shall be laid down by the Central Electoral Commission.
188. The chairman of the electoral committee of the polling district shall be responsible for fitting out the polling station by the due date and in an appropriate manner. If the municipality administration fails to allocate premises suitable for establishing a poling station or fails to ensure the provision of equipment necessary for voting, the chairman of the electoral committee of the polling district must forthwith notify the constituency electoral committee thereof and take measure to find premises suitable for fitting out a polling station and to acquire the necessary equipment as prescribed in Article 8 of this Law. Article
189. Election Observers
190. Parties as well as candidates for the Seimas member shall have the right to appoint election observers. An election observer shall be a person having a certificate in the form established by the Central Electoral Commission. He shall have the right to observe elections conducted in the territory of the constituency or polling district which is indicated in his certificate. The observer’s certificate shall be issued by: 1) the Central Electoral Commission - to observe elections on the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania, in the diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Lithuania or only in specific constituencies, polling districts upon the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Republic or a person authorised by him, or upon the request of the persons representing international institutions, as well as at its own discretion; 2) a constituency electoral committee - to observe elections in the entire territory of the constituency, in one or several polling districts to citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who are above 18 years of age upon the proposal of the candidate whose name is on the ballot paper of the multi-member constituency or of this constituency, or at the request of the local branch of the party; the name and first name of the person, his personal code, name of the polling district (districts) must be indicated in the certificate.
191. The observer’s certificate shall be issued by the chairman of the electoral committee on behalf of the electoral committee or by any other member of the committee on the instruction of the committee chairman. It shall not be allowed to refuse to issue an observer’s certificate or delay its issuance, if the person to whom it should be issued meets the requirements of this Law. All refusals to issue an observer’s certificate must be reported at the next committee sitting and an appropriate representative for elections must be notified thereof.
192. An election observer shall have the right to demand that the chairman and members of an electoral committee, as well as persons who are in the polling station should adhere to this and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Electoral committees must make arrangements to ensure that an election observer be provided with proper conditions in the polling station of an polling district to monitor the observance of this Law. If an observer violates this or other laws himself, his observer’s certificate may be revoked on the decision of the chairman of the constituency electoral committee. The members of the electoral committee, the Central Electoral Commission and an appropriate representative for elections shall be immediately notified of the decision. CHAPTER IX POLLS Article
193. Time and Place of the Polls The polls shall be held on the election day from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the place designated by the electoral committee of the polling district. The voter shall vote in the polling district on the electoral roll of which he has been entered, unless this Law provides otherwise. Article
194. Prohibition to Carry out other Activities in the Polling Station It shall not be allowed to carry out any other activities in the polling station, except organisation of the election and voting. It shall also not be allowed to carry out any activities in the passageways leading to or out of the polling station (corridors) and at the entrance to the building where the polling station is situated. Article
195. Opening of the Polls On the day of election, the polling station shall be opened only when at least 3/5 of the members of the electoral committee of the polling district are present. Prior to opening of the polling station for voters, only the electoral committee members, observers and the policeman on duty can be present in it. The chairman of the electoral committee, together with the members of the electoral committee, shall make sure that the ballot box is empty and shall seal it up. After the electoral committee of the polling district checks that the polling station has been furnished according to the established requirements, the chairman of the electoral committee of the polling district shall register the total amount of the ballot papers received by the electoral committee of the polling district from the constituency electoral committee into the vote counting record, affix the seal on ballot papers, distribute ballot papers and the voter list among the members of the electoral committee, register the number of ballot papers issued to each member of the electoral committee into the vote counting record of the polling district, and open the polling station to the voters, thereby proclaiming the commencement of the elections. Article
196. Determining Voter’s Identity
197. At the entrance to the polling station, a voter shall present his voter certificate, passport or other identity document to an electoral committee member of the polling district. Upon having established that the voter has arrived at the polling district on the electoral roll of which he has been entered, the committee member shall hand the voter an arrival card indicating which the voter was to come to the polling station to vote and shall show the committee member to be applied to for a ballot. It shall not be allowed to hand several arrival cards to one voter or to hand in to a voter another voter’s arrival card. If upon arriving at the polling station, the person does not have the required documents or it is not clear whether he has been entered on the electoral roll of this polling district, the committee member shall not hand the arrival card to this person, instead, the person shall handed a guest’s card and shall be referred to the committee chairman or deputy chairman to clarify his voting status.
198. The committee member who is tasked with handing ballot papers, having established on the basis of the produced documents that the person who arrived to vote is indeed the citizen who has been entered on the electoral roll, or if two citizens of the Republic of Lithuania entered on the electoral roll of that polling district testify to this fact in writing to the electoral committee chairman, shall find the name of the voter on the electoral roll, and shall take the voter certificate and the arrival card from the person. After the voter and the committee member who hands ballot papers sign in the electoral roll of the polling district, the voter shall be handed ballot papers - one for a single-member constituency and the other for the multi-member constituency. The voter certificate and arrival card shall not be returned to the voter. In voting by post, an entry shall be made on the voter certificate concerning the issue of a ballot paper, and the voter certificate shall be returned to the voter.
199. It shall be prohibited to hand the voter the ballot paper (ballot papers) of another person. The member of an electoral committee who violates this provision shall be liable under law. Article
200. Voting Procedure
201. Having been handed ballot papers, the voter shall go into the polling booth and mark the ballot papers. It shall be prohibited to mark ballot papers outside the polling booth.
202. On a ballot paper of a single-member constituency , the voter shall mark the name of the candidate for Seimas member whom he is voting for.
203. On a ballot paper of the multi-member constituency the voter shall mark the list of candidates whom he is voting for and, expressing his opinion about the candidates on the list, shall enter the election numbers of the 5 chosen candidates in the designated spaces of the ballot paper. In this way preference votes are given for the candidates. If the election number of one and the same candidate is entered two or more times on the ballot paper, only one preference vote from the ballot paper shall be considered for the candidate. Where the marks on the ballot paper make it impossible to determine the voter’s preferences regarding the election numbers of one or more candidates, it shall be considered that the voter has not expressed his preferences regarding the candidates.
204. The voter shall personally cast his marked ballot papers into the ballot box.
205. Upon the request of the voter, spoiled ballot papers shall be exchanged for new ones. A spoiled ballot paper shall be crossed and signed by a member of the electoral committee who shall then hand a new ballot paper. Spoiled ballot papers shall be kept separately.
206. The voter who, because of his physical disability, is unable to mark his ballot papers and cast them into the ballot box himself, may invite another person (with the exception of the chairman of the electoral committee or its member, or an election observer) to carry out these actions for him. A voter who has no physical disabilities precluding him from marking the ballot papers must vote personally. Article
207. Postal Voting
208. Voters who are unable to come to a polling district on the election day shall be entitled to voting by post. Postal voting shall be possible at post offices or post offices set specially for postal voting (hereinafter referred to as “special post offices”) during their business hours on a last Wednesday, Thursday or Friday before the election day. Voters entered on electoral rolls of any constituency may vote at post offices situated in administrative centres of municipalities, as well as at special post offices. It shall be possible to vote in post offices, which are not situated in administrative centres of municipalities, for voters of a single-member constituency in which that post office is located. Expenses related to postal voting shall be covered with the funds of the State Budget.
209. The head of the post office shall be responsible for the organisation of postal voting. The chairman of the electoral committee of the polling district within the territory of which a post office is situated, shall be responsible for the organisation of the supervision of the work of that post office during postal voting. He shall, in conjunction with the chairmen of other polling district committees whom the constituency electoral committee has assigned with such a task, organise members’ of polling district committees watching-over in post offices and their participation during voting in special post offices.
210. The head of the post office, with the consent of the constituency electoral committee, shall appoint postal workers for the issue and collection of ballot papers and voting envelopes during postal voting, who are entrusted with the issue of ballot papers and voucher envelopes. If the constituency electoral committee requests so, the head of the post office must remove a postal worker from the work with election documents. Postal workers who are authorised to issue election papers shall be issued by the constituency electoral committee with the certificates of the established form. A postal worker who does not have such certificate shall not have the right to issue election papers. An electoral committee member, election observer, who has produced his certificate to the postal worker, a voter, who has produced the voter certificate and the document proving his identity, shall have the right to write down his remark in the said certificate; the head of the post office shall immediately notify the constituency electoral committee about this remark. The postal worker who does not have this certificate shall not have the right to issue election papers.
211. Post offices as well as the places specified in Articles 69, 70, 71, 72, and 73 of this Law must provide a room (place) where the voter can, without interference and in secrecy, mark the ballot papers and put them into the voting envelopes. In these cases voting may be observed by election observers who have an election observer’s certificate permitting to observe elections in any polling district.
212. The postal worker shall issue election documents to a voter in accordance with the procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission. Together with ballot papers, voters shall be given envelopes for voting by post. An outer envelope for voting by post shall be addressed by the postal worker to the polling district committee which is indicated in the voter certificate of the person.
213. Voting in secrecy, the voter shall himself: 1) mark the ballot papers; 2) put the marked ballot papers into the voucher envelope; 3) seal the voucher envelope; 4) put the voucher envelope into the outer envelope together with the voter certificate; 5) seal the outer envelope.
214. Actions referred to in paragraphs 6 and 8 of this Article shall be carried out by a voter himself. If because of the physical disability a voter is unable to carry out the said actions himself, at his request such actions shall be carried out by a person he chooses. This person must mark the ballot papers in the presence of the voter according to his instructions and preserve the secrecy of voting.
215. The sealed outer envelope (with the voter certificate, voucher envelope and ballot papers in it) the voter shall hand to a postal worker. Upon having received the envelope handed by the voter, the postal worker shall give the voter a receipt confirming the acceptance of this envelope.
216. A postal worker shall be prohibited from carrying out for a voter the actions referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, as well as from accepting from the voter an outer envelope which is not sealed. Voters shall be prohibited from taking out postal ballot papers, voucher envelopes or handing them to other persons. Article
217. Voting at Home
218. Only the following persons may vote at home: disabled voters, voters with temporary working incapacity, voters aged 70 and over if because of the health condition they are unable to come to a post office to vote or to a polling district on election day and if they produce a voter’s request, the form of which is set by the Central Electoral Commission, for voting at home and are entered on the roll of voters voting at home.
219. Voters’ requests for voting at home shall be submitted to polling district committees. The committees shall begin to accept requests of voters, residing within the territory of a concrete polling district, for voting at home by handing voter certificates to such voters and end accepting the requests on the Thursday preceding an election day. The committees shall end accepting requests of voters, who temporarily stay within the territory of a concrete polling district and have not been entered on the roll of voters of this polling district, for voting at home on the Tuesday preceding an election day. A voter who because of his physical disability is unable to fill in a request for voting at home or to hand it to a polling district committee, may authorise his family member, neighbour or a person who takes care of him to carry out the said actions for him. These persons shall sign the voter’s request and indicate their name, surname and personal number.
220. On the Friday preceding an election day a polling district committee shall draw up and approve a roll of voters voting at home who are entered on the electoral roll of that polling district. On the Wednesday preceding an election day a constituency electoral committee shall draw up and approve a roll of voters who reside or temporarily stay within the territory of a concrete polling district but have been entered on the electoral roll of another polling district and have not been entered on the electoral roll of this polling district when revising them.
221. On the Saturday preceding an election day at least two members of a polling district committee shall deliver voucher envelopes and ballot papers to the homes of the voters who have been entered on the roll of the polling district voters voting at home and who are the voters of this polling district. On the Thursday preceding an election day at least two members of a constituency electoral committee or, by order of its chairman, at least two members of a polling district committee shall deliver voucher envelopes and ballot papers to the homes of the voters who have been entered on the roll of the constituency voters voting at home, but who have not been entered on the electoral roll of the polling district within the territory of which they temporarily stay. Voting at home may be observed by election observers who have a certificate to observe elections in any pooling district.
222. A concrete schedule of electoral committee members’ coming to the homes of voters shall be approved by the chairman of a polling district or constituency committee not later than, respectively, in the Friday or Wednesday preceding the noon of an election day. This schedule shall be public, its copy shall be posted up on t