official translation

official translation official translation REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON THE AMENDMENT OF THE LAW ON ELECTIONS TO THE SEIMAS 7 July 1996, No. I-2721 Vilnius (As amended 18 July 2000, No.VIII-1870; 31 August 2000, No. 59-1760) Article 1. Revised Version of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on  Elections to the Seimas The Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Elections to the Seimas shall be amended and set forth to read as follows: REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON ELECTIONS TO THE SEIMAS as amended by 18 July 2000 CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1. The Principles of Elections of Seimas Members Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter - the Seimas)  shall be elected for a four-year term in single-member constituencies and the multi-member constituency on  the basis of universal and equal suffrage, by secret ballot in direct, mixed-system  elections. Article 2. Universal Suffrage 1. Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who, on the day of the election, are 18 years of age shall have the right to vote. Citizens who have been declared legally incompetent by  the court shall not participate in elections. 2. Any citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is not under allegiance to a foreign state and is at least 25 years of age on the day of elections, and who  permanently resides in Lithuania may stand for election as a member of the Seimas. When ascertaining whether a citizen who has arrived in Lithuania from another state for residency is a permanent resident, a period of one year as laid down  in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Persons Considered Permanent Residents or Residents of the Republic of Lithuania shall not be applicable.  3. Persons who, with 65 days remaining before elections, have not yet served their  sentence imposed by the court, as well as persons who have been declared legally incompetent and incapable by  the  court  may not stand for election as members of the Seimas. 4. Persons who on the day of elections are in the active or alternative military service, also officers, non-commissioned officers and re-enlistees of  the national  defence system, police and the internal affairs service who, with 65 days remaining before elections, have not retired from the service, and officers of other military-type  and security services who are on the payroll may not stand for election as members of the Seimas. 5. Other direct or indirect abridgements of suffrage of the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania  on the grounds of their origin, political convictions, social or  property  status, nationality, sex, education, language, religion, or the type or character of  their occupation  shall be  prohibited. Article 3. Equal Suffrage Every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who has the right to vote shall have one vote in a single-member constituency and one vote in the multi-member constituency , and these votes shall have the same value as the votes of any other citizen who has the right to vote. Every voter shall have an equal right to express his opinion about the candidates who are on the list of candidates for which he votes in the multi-member constituency, and this opinion shall have the same value as the opinion of any other voter who has voted for this list. Article 4. Direct Elections There shall be no voting by proxy in the elections of the Seimas members. Article 5. Secret Ballot 1. Voters shall vote in person and by secret ballot. It shall be prohibited for a person to vote instead of another person or to vote by proxy. A voter who because of his physical disability cannot cast a ballot himself, may vote with the assistance of another person whom he trusts as laid down in Paragraph 6 of Article 66 of this Law. If the secret of another person’s voting has come to  the knowledge of anyone, it shall be prohibited to disclose it. 2. It shall be prohibited to control the will of the voters during the elections. It shall be prohibited during the voting to influence the will of an elector to vote for or against any candidate or a list of candidates. A voter must have adequate conditions to mark his ballot in privacy and without interference. It shall be prohibited to handle the ballot in such a way that the secret of voting might be disclosed. Article 6. Announcement of the Date of Elections to the Seimas 1. Regular elections to the Seimas shall be announced by the President of the Republic,  and early elections to the Seimas may be announced by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania or the President of the Republic. 2. Regular elections to the Seimas shall be announced by the President of Republic not later than six months prior to the expiration of the powers of the Seimas members. Regular elections to the Seimas  shall be held not earlier than two months before  and no later than one month before the expiration of the powers of the Seimas members.  If, with four months remaining before the expiration of the powers of the Seimas members, the President of the Republic has not yet announced the date of regular elections to the Seimas, the Central Electoral Committee shall hold regular elections to the Seimas on the last Sunday from which at least a month remains before the expiration of the powers of the Seimas members. 3. If regular elections must be held in time of war, the Seimas or the President of the Republic shall adopt a decision to prolong the powers of the Seimas. In this event, elections must be called not later than within three months after the end of war. 4. Early elections to the Seimas may be held by the decision of the Seimas adopted by at least three-fifths majority vote of all the Seimas members, or announced by the President of the Republic in the cases referred to in Paragraph 2 of Article 58 of the Constitution. The elections to the new Seimas must be held within three months from the adoption of the decision on the early elections. The day of elections to the new Seimas shall be specified in the decree of the President of the Republic on the regular elections to the Seimas,  and in the resolution of the Seimas or decree of the President of the Republic on the early elections to the Seimas. 5. The day when ballots are cast in the multi-member constituency and in one-member constituencies shall be considered the day of the elections to the new Seimas. Voting by post,  voting on ships and in diplomatic missions shall be carried out  before the election day or shall be completed on the day of the elections as laid down by this Law. The time-limit which starts on the election day and may become effective only after the election results have been announced shall start from the day of announcement of  the election results.    6. The date of by-election or run-off elections in a one-member constituency shall be announced by the Central Electoral Committee in cases laid down by  this Law within 15 days after the day when the necessity to hold such elections arose, save as otherwise provided in this Law. Article 7. Openness of Preparation and Holding of Elections 1. Public notice about a forthcoming meeting of the electoral committee shall be put on the notice board placed in the premises where the electoral committee has its offices, and the members of this electoral committee shall be personally notified about the forthcoming meeting at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. In addition, the Central Electoral Committee shall inform the mass media via the Internet about its meetings where the following matters are discussed: dates of by-elections and run-off  elections; determining of the boundaries of constituencies; formation and change of the composition of the constituency electoral committees; registration of candidates; issues determined by drawing of lots;  reaching a decision on the final election results; lapse of the powers of a Seimas member before the expiration of his term of office; recognition of the powers of a new Seimas member, as well as consideration of disputes concerning the election campaign and violations of the Law on Elections to the Seimas . 2. Meetings and voting of electoral committees shall be open and may be  observed by representatives and observers of political parties and political organisations (hereinafter - parties), candidates for Seimas members upon presenting certificates of the established form or credentials with the seal of the organisations which have authorised them; representatives of the mass media, upon presenting their authority or service cards. A candidate for Seimas member may participate in the meeting of an electoral committee if: a decision concerning his personal activities or circumstances directly related to his person is being adopted or if he has been invited to participate in the meeting by  the chairman of the electoral committee. 3. Persons present in the conference room  may, from their seats, record, write down in shorthand or take down everything that is said at the meeting, photograph, film or make video recordings. Taking photographs, filming, and video recording which  requires walking about the hall or using special lighting equipment, as well as live radio or television broadcasting of meetings  shall be subject to the permission of the electoral committee chairman. 4. Electoral committees may not hold closed meetings. The Central Electoral Committee may prohibit anyone from entering the workroom of the service staff of electoral committees, document safe-keeping premises if it is necessary to guarantee undisturbed working conditions of the staff and  to protect election documents. 5. If there are reasons to believe that during a meeting a threat to the security of an electoral committee or its participants may arise, the chairman of the committee may instruct the police to check  the documents and belongings of the persons entering the conference room or carry out their personal search.  6. The electoral committee may remove from the meeting hall persons who interfere with the work of the committee. Article 8. Expenditure Related to the Preparation and Conduct of Elections Expenditure related to the preparation and holding of elections shall be covered from the state and municipal budgets. The expenditure of electoral committees related to the organisation and conduct of elections and the work of the members of electoral committees and the service staff shall be covered from the state budget. Maintenance of the office space of constituency electoral committees and polling district committees, expenditure of purchasing and keeping of the equipment of polling stations shall be covered from  municipal  budgets.  If the municipal administration fails to provide adequate  premises and supplies for the office of the polling district and the polling station, by the decision of the Central Electoral Committee, state funds shall be used for this purpose. In such a case, the actual expenses for the polling station and its supplies shall be recovered without suit by the Central Electoral Committee from the municipal administration. CHAPTER II Constituencies and Polling Districts Article 9. Formation of Constituencies 1. For  the  organisation  and  conduct of elections,  the territory of  the Republic  of Lithuania shall be divided into 71 single-member constituencies, taking into  consideration  the number of  inhabitants in the constituency, the division of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania into single-member constituencies during previous elections to the Seimas, and the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Lithuania. A constituency shall be formed from polling districts which have common boundaries. The  number of  voters in constituencies must be from 0.9 to 1.1 of the average number of  voters in all single-member constituencies. The Central  Electoral Committee, no later than 95 days before the election, shall establish, and no later than 90 days before the election, shall publish in the Valstybės žinios (The Official Gazette)  the list of polling districts forming a constituency, the addresses and telephone numbers of their polling stations, the number of voters in the constituency, and the addresses and telephone numbers of constituency electoral committees. 2. One multi-member constituency shall also be formed where all citizens of the Republic of Lithuania eligible to vote shall cast their votes. 70 Seimas members shall be elected in this constituency according to the proportional system of elections. Article 10. Formation of Polling Districts 1. With a view of making it more convenient for  a voter to reach a polling station and with account of the number of voters, the territories of cities and regions  shall be divided into polling districts. 2. The division of the territory of a town or region into polling districts, which shall be permanent during elections and referenda, shall be changed, where necessary, by the Central Electoral Committee on the recommendation of the mayor. The Central Electoral Committee shall publish a list of approved polling districts, and changes made therein in the Valstybės žinios ( The Official Gazette). 3. No more than  5, 000 voters must reside within the territory of a polling district.  4. The boundaries of a polling district and  the address of the polling station shall be changed, where necessary, but no later than 100 days prior to the election. In his recommendation to approve the division of the territory of the municipality into polling districts, the mayor shall specify the proposed name of the polling district, the addresses belonging to the polling district, the number of voters in the district, the address and telephone number of the polling station. The recommendation on changes in the division of the municipality into polling districts shall specify the changes it is proposing. These changes must be submitted to the Central Electoral committee at least 110 days prior to the election. In the event when it is impossible to have polling at the polling stations established earlier, the Central Electoral Committee, on the recommendation of the  constituency electoral committee, may change the address of the polling station  within a shorter time limit than the one specified in this Article.    CHAPTER III ORGANISATION of Elections Article 11. Electoral Committees 1. Elections to the Seimas shall be organised and conducted by: 1) the Central Electoral Committee; 2) constituency electoral committees; and 3) polling district  committees. 2. A citizen of the Republic of Lithuania may be nominated to the electoral committee provided he is eligible to stand  in election as a member of the Seimas (without taking into consideration the minimum age limit set for a Seimas candidate, but who is not younger than 18 years of age on the election day) and has not been dismissed, in the course of the last three years,  from the an electoral or referendum committee due to violations of the Law on Elections to the Seimas, the Law on Presidential Elections, the Law on Elections to Municipal Councils or the Law on the Referendum.    3. The same person cannot concurrently be: a member of the electoral committee and a candidate for Seimas member; a candidate for Seimas member and a representative for the election; a representative for the election and a member of the electoral committee; a candidate for Seimas member and an observer at the elections; a member of the electoral committee and an observer at the elections. If a member of the electoral committee seeks to stand in election as a member of the Seimas, at least 10 days in advance of giving  his consent to stand for election as a member of the Seimas or before he starts collecting the signatures, he must resign from the post of a member of the electoral committee. If a member of the electoral committee fails to do so he shall be dismissed from the electoral committee for the violation of this Law and shall be not registered as a candidate for Seimas member or his name shall be struck off the list of candidates. Article 12. Formation of the Central Electoral Committee 1. The Central Electoral Committee shall be a permanent supreme institution charged with organisation of elections to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, President of the Republic, municipal councils, as well as organisation of referenda. 2. The Seimas  shall form the Central Electoral Committee for a four-year period no later than 100 days and no earlier than 130 days in advance of  regular elections to the Seimas. The Central Electoral Committee shall not be newly formed before early elections to the Seimas; it shall retain its powers until the Central Electoral Committee is formed before regular elections to the Seimas. 3. The Central  Electoral Committee shall be composed of: 1) the Committee Chairman; 2) three persons with university law degrees who are chosen by drawing lots from among the six candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice; 3) three persons  with university law degrees who are chosen by  drawing lots from among the six candidates nominated by the Lithuanian Lawyers'  Society;  and 4) the persons nominated by parties which have received mandates of the  Seimas  members in the multi-member constituency. 4. The Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society may nominate more candidates to the Central Electoral Committee. 5. Drawing  of  lots  during  a  Seimas  sitting  shall be organised by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman Speaker of the Seimas. 6. Prior to the formation of the Committee, parties which have received mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency shall each have the right to nominate one representative to the Central  Electoral Committee  from one list of candidates (joint list)  nominated in  the  multi-member constituency. 7. If the representatives meet the requirements specified in paragraphs 2 and 3, Article 11 of  this Law, the Seimas may not reject the nominees. 8. In all  cases, persons  appointed to  the Central  Electoral Committee from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Lawyers' Society must make up more than 1/2 of the Committee  members. If the number of such persons is smaller, the number of the members of the Committee shall be increased in equal numbers,  according to the procedure established  in this Article, by  drawing lots, from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Lawyers'  Society, and the number of the candidates must be twice as large as is necessary for the additional appointment of members to the Central Electoral Committee. 9. The Seimas shall appoint the Chairman of the Central Electoral Committee. The Chairman of the Central Electoral Committee as well as the members of the Committee who were appointed to the Committee by drawing lots must suspend their membership in any party of which they are members, and may not take part in the activities and carry out the  instructions of  parties or political organisations during the period of their  work on the Committee. 10. The Central  Electoral  Committee  shall  elect  the  Deputy Chairman and  Secretary of  the Committee during its meeting. The Deputy  Chairman shall  be elected  from among the members who  do  not  represent parties. Article 13.  Revision of the Composition of the Central Electoral Committee after the Elections to the Seimas 1. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania shall, within 100 days after the first sitting of the newly elected Seimas, revise the composition of the Central Electoral Committee: it shall dismiss and newly appoint the Committee members nominated by the parties in order to include in the Committee representatives of the parties which have received mandates in the multi-member  constituency. Where necessary, the Seimas may only increase the number of the Committee members chosen by lot. 2. The powers of the Chairman of the Central Electoral Committee and the Committee members chosen by lot shall lapse before the expiration of their term of office  in the following cases: 1) upon the resignation of a member; 2) upon death of a member; 3) if a member does not meet the requirements specified in paragraph 2, Article 11 of this Law; 4) if a conviction of a member becomes effective; and 5) if the Constitutional Court rules that the Law on Elections to the Seimas or the Law on Presidential Elections has been violated due to the activities of the Central Electoral Committee. Article 14. The Powers of the Central Electoral Committee 1. The Central Electoral Committee shall guarantee uniform application of the laws on elections and referendum on the whole territory of the Republic of Lithuania. For this purpose, it shall issue implementation rules for these laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Observation of these rules shall be obligatory for all institutions and officials. The decisions of the Central Electoral Committee may be revised only by the Central Electoral Committee itself or by an effective court ruling. Institutions of state government and administration, the Seimas members and other officials, parties, political and public organisations or citizens shall be prohibited from interfering with the activities of the Central Electoral Committee related to organisation of elections or a referendum.   2. When conducting elections to the Seimas under the requirements of this Law , the Central Electoral Committee shall: 1) divide the territory  of  Lithuania  into one-member constituencies; 2) form constituency electoral committees; 3) accept application documents concerning the nomination of candidates for  the Seimas, examine them;  upon establishing that the documents  are in conformity with the requirements of this Law, register the candidates and lists of candidates, and make public  the lists of nominees who will participate in the  elections, the numbers they have been assigned, and the candidates nominated in single-member constituencies; 4) establish  the samples  and forms of  ballot papers  and other documents  used during  the elections, of  packages and seals, also samples for  their filling them out,  and the procedure of stamping the ballot papers; 5) manage the election funds allocated by the State; 6) supervise the implementation of this Law; 7) investigate complaints and adopt decisions concerning decisions of   constituency electoral committees and, where necessary,  also of polling district committees, also revoke decisions which do not meet the requirements of laws or other legal acts 8) discharge the functions of the multi-member constituency electoral committee; 9)  establish   and  announce  the  final  results  of  the elections; 10) issue certificates of the Seimas member of  the Republic of Lithuania to the elected candidates; 11) hand over  the vote counting and other records of electoral committees to the State Archives; and 12) approve a model description of the polling station and the surrounding territory and together with municipality mayors take measures to ensure that the polling stations, their equipment and the surrounding territory conform to the established requirements; 13) discharge other powers provided for  by this Law. 3. During the period between elections, the Central Electoral Committee shall perform the functions of the Mandate Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania: adopt and announce decisions upon lapse of the Seimas member’s powers; acknowledge the powers of new Seimas members elected in the multi-member  constituency, by election or run-off elections in a single-member constituency. 4. The Central Electoral Committee shall sum up the election-related experience, together with other State institutions promote the importance of free, democratic and fair elections, seek to raise awareness of the electorate. It shall also maintain contacts with the institutions of other states which organise and conduct  elections in these states. 5. The  Central   Electoral  Committee  may  not  interpret  the provisions of  this Law. If there is a need for that, the Central Electoral Committee shall apply to the Seimas for amendment of this  Law. The Seimas shall consider questions submitted by the Central Electoral  Committee as a matter of great urgency. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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.    4. 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 Committee may not turn down  said candidacies. If candidates have not been nominated, the Central Electoral Committee 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. 5. 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. 6. 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 Committee 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. 7. The  Central   Electoral   Committee   shall   appoint  the chairman of the constituency electoral committee. 8. During its  first meeting,  the constituency electoral  committee  shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary of the committee. Article 16.  Powers of the Constituency Electoral Committee The constituency electoral committee shall: 1) inform,  in the manner established by the Central Electoral Committee,  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 Committee 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 health care, 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 17.  Formation of Polling District Committees 1. 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. 2. 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.  3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7 . Chairmen of polling district committees shall be appointed from among the members of the committee by constituency electoral committees. 8. 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  voter lists  from the  constituency electoral committee, provide conditions for electors, 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 voter list of a polling district; 2) investigate complaints about the errors  made in voter lists; 3) in the manner prescribed by the Central Electoral Committee, monitor voting by post conducted in the territory of a polling district, ensure that conditions for voting by post are provided in all health care, social care and guardianship institutions, military units and the places of confinement situated in the territory of the polling district; 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 voting, 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. The Oath and a Written Pledge of Electoral Committee Members 1. A member of an electoral committee, its chairman shall take office upon having taken an oath or given a written pledge.. 2. The members of the Central Electoral Committee and its Chairman shall take the oath in the Seimas. The oath shall be administered by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Seimas. The text of the oath of a member and the Chairman of the electoral committee shall read as follows: “I, (first name, name),  a member, the chairman of the electoral committee, 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 rights of citizens. So help me God.” 3. The procedure for giving a written pledge by the members and chairmen of constituency electoral committees and polling district committees shall be established by the Central Electoral Committee. The text of a written pledge of a member and the chairman of an electoral committee shall read as follows: “I, (first name, name), member, chairman of the electoral committee, 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 rights of citizens. So help me God.”       4. The oath may be taken or a written pledge may be given without the last sentence. The person who has taken the oath shall sign the text of the oath. The oath shall be effective for the whole duration of the appointment to work in the electoral committee. The person who does not take the oath, shall not take office as a member of the electoral committee. 5. The oaths, written pledges of the members and chairmen of the electoral committees shall remain in the custody of the institutions which have appointed them. 6. When appointing an electoral committee member, the institution shall fix the date by which he must take an oath or give a written pledge. The person who has not taken an oath, given a written pledge for  more than  15 days after his appointment or who has taken the oath or given a written pledge with a reservation, shall be removed from office in the electoral committee.    Article 20. Organisation of the Work of Electoral Committees 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. The chairman or a member of an electoral committee who have taken the oath or given a written pledge shall be prohibited from any  form of campaigning or to influence the voters' will in any other way. Individuals who violate this requirement,  the oath or 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 21. Appeals against Decisions of Electoral Committees Adopted before Closing of  the Polls 1. 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 Committee; 3) an appeal  against the Central Electoral Committee decision shall be lodged with the Higher Administrative Tribunal. 2. 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 voter list which did not let him exercise his right to vote (he has been incorrectly put on the voter list or his name has been struck off the voter list 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. 3. Decisions of the Central Electoral Committee or its other acts may be appealed to the Higher Administrative Tribunal 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. 4. 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 Committee appeals for investigation which fall within their respective competence and have not been investigated. Article 22. Assistance for Electoral Committees 1. Central and local government institutions and agencies, their officers and staff, enterprises and their employees must assist  electoral  committees  in exercising their powers and must furnish all necessary information to them. 2. Central and local government institutions and agencies, 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. 3. Electoral committees  may  recruit  the  required  number of staff for additional work. 4. Central and local government institutions and agencies, 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 23. Remuneration of Electoral Committee Members For their work in electoral committees, the chairmen and members of the committees shall be remunerated at the rates submitted by  the Central Electoral Committee and approved by the Government.. Article 24.  Changing of the Composition of Electoral Committees 1. 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 Committee. 2. 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. 3. 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 17. CHAPTER IV Voter Lists and VOTER CERTIFICATES Article 25. Voter Lists 1. For  the organisation and conduct of elections, the following voter  lists shall be  compiled: 1) the list of the voters of the Republic of Lithuania; 2) single -member constituency voter lists; and 3) polling district voter lists. 2. Voter lists shall be drawn up two times - preliminary and final. These lists may be used only for the organisation and conduct of elections. 3. The procedure of compiling voter lists must be such that every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is eligible to vote is registered in voter lists. No one may be registered in a voter list more than once. 4. At the request of parties which have nominated candidates, general voter lists may be compiled. These lists shall  provide information necessary for the organisation of campaigning about the voters of a constituency or a polling district (first name, name, address, and age). The actual expenses for  making such lists shall be paid by the party or the  candidate who has ordered them.          5. The list of the voters of the Republic of Lithuania and single-member constituency voter lists  which are compiled and kept by the keeper of the population register, shall be made in the magnetic media. The procedure and form of  compiling of lists,  the method of compiling and the manner of their use shall be determined by the Central Electoral Committee. Article 26. General Procedure for Registering Citizens in Voter Lists 1. All citizens of  the Republic of Lithuania who have the right to vote shall be registered in the voter list of the Republic of Lithuania according to the data of issuance of the document (passport) certifying citizenship, and according to the population register of the Republic of Lithuania. State institutions 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. 2. Compiling, updating and keeping of voter lists shall be organised by the Central Electoral Committee on the basis of the information furnished by central and local government institutions and constituency electoral committees. 3. The following persons shall be removed from the voter list 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. 4. At least 7 days  in advance of the election, updated preliminary voter lists acknowledged in the manner established by the Central Electoral Committee shall be  approved as final voter lists. Changes in final voter lists may be made only subject to the consent of the Central Electoral Committee. Article 27. Voter Lists of One-Member Constituencies The voter list of  a constituency in the magnetic media shall be made by  the Central Electoral Committee according  to the voter list 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.  Lists of voters residing abroad shall be also drawn up  and shall be delivered to diplomatic missions of the Republic of Lithuania. A list of citizens whose place of residence is unknown shall be also compiled. Article 28. Voter Lists of Polling Districts The voter list of an polling district shall be drawn up by the constituency electoral committee according to the voter list 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 Committee, be registered in the voter list of the polling district in the territory where the  ship’s registration harbour or the administration of the ship’s owner is located. Article 29. Public Announcement of  Voter Lists and  Access to Voter Lists At least 25 days before the election, a polling district committee, a diplomatic mission shall provide conditions for the voters to have access to voter lists. The business hours of electoral committee members as well as the telephone numbers for electors to make inquiries about whether they are registered in the voting list must be on display at the entrance to the polling station. Following expiration of the time period for delivering voters’ certificates, the business hours of the polling district committee, its telephones must be on display in stairwell entrances of apartment houses. The time and place for the voters to exercise their  right to have access to voters lists shall be on display in a diplomatic mission, at the entrance to the premises of an electoral committee. Article 30. Voter Certificate 1. A voter certificate shall be a document issued by an electoral committee specifying  the polling district in the voter list whereof a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania is registered. One cannot vote by post without this certificate. 2. A voter certificate shall contain: 1) the voter’s first name and name; 2) the voter’s  birth date (year, month, day); 3)the voter’s address;  4) the name and number of the single-member constituency in which the voter shall vote; 5) the name, number of  the polling  district in the list of voters whereof the name of the voter has been registered, as well as the address of the polling station; 6) the number of the voter in the voter list of a polling district; 7) the election day, the voting time at the polling station, the requirement to produce this certificate when voting by post, and other information  relevant for the voter. Article 31. Delivery of the Voter Certificate 1. The delivery of voter certificates to voters shall be organised by the polling district committee. A diplomatic mission shall deliver or send by post voter certificates to a voter who is abroad, provided that he has informed the diplomatic mission of his address. A voter certificate shall not be delivered to the voter who is votes aboard a ship. 2. The delivery of a voter certificate shall be marked off  in the preliminary  voter list of a polling district. A voter certificate shall be either delivered to the voter personally or another person who lives together with the voter, or to a neighbour of the voter, who knows the voter and promises to deliver the certificate to the voter. The delivery of voter certificates to voters must be finished at least 20 days before the election. 3. The voter who has not received a voter certificate in due time or who has received a voter certificate with incorrect data, must, without delay, inform the polling district committee in the territory whereof he resides, and to produce his passport or other document confirming his identity to the electoral committee. If the voter is registered in the voter list of this polling district, the polling district committee must write out a new voter certificate to the voter and issue it to him immediately.  If the voter is not registered in the voter list 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 Committee for registering the voter in the voter list 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 registered on the basis of this application in the voter list of the polling district. The voter certificate shall be issued and delivered to the voter  following the updating of the  voter lists. 4) A constituency electoral committee may, in the manner prescribed by the Central Electoral Committee, issue a voter’s certificate to a voter who is registered in the voter list of a different constituency if said voter is not able to return to his permanent place of residence to collect or obtain in some other manner a voter certificate. The voter must apply for this in writing and produce the passport of a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania    Article 32. Updating of Voter Lists before Drawing up Final Lists 1. Preliminary voter lists shall be updated when transferring a voter from one voter list of a constituency or a polling district into another,  when removing a voter from or registering him in the voter list of the Republic of Lithuania. 2. A voter shall be transferred from one voter list 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. 3. Transferring of a voter from the voter list 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 Committee about the changes made in voter lists of polling districts. Transferring of a voter from the voter list of one constituency into another shall be the responsibility of the Central Electoral Committee on the recommendation of the constituency electoral committee and the Central Electoral Committee shall notify constituency  electoral committees about the changes made. A voter may be registered in or removed from the voter list  of the Republic of Lithuania only by the Central Electoral Committee in  cases specified in Article 26 of this Law. Article 33. Registration of Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania Who Are Staying Abroad in Voter Lists              1. Citizens of  the Republic  of  Lithuania who are staying in other states shall be registered in the voter list of the single-member constituency in the territory whereof the Seimas of  the Republic of Lithuania is situated. 2. A diplomatic mission of the Republic of Lithuania shall, at least 15 days before the election to the Seimas, submit to the Central Electoral Committee the voter list 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 34. Registration in Voter Lists of National Defence Servicemen, Voters who are Aboard a Ship and in Places of Confinement 1. Voters performing the active or alternative service shall be registered  in the voter lists of the polling district on whose territory they permanently resided before they were summoned for the active or alternative service. 2. Officers, non-commissioned officers and re-enlistees of  the national  defence system and the internal affairs service shall be registered in the voter lists of  the polling district on whose territory they permanently reside. 3. 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 registered in the additional voter list of the polling district in whose voter list the ship’s crew is registered. 4. Voters who are in places of confinement shall be registered in the voter list of the polling district in whose territory they permanently resided before they were placed in confinement. Upon a written request off a person who is in a place of confinement  he shall be registered in the voter list of the polling district in whose territory the place of confinement is situated. Article 35. Updating Voter Lists upon Compiling Final Voter Lists, as well as on the Election Day If following the approval of the final voter lists, but no later than until 6:00 p.m. on the election day, a voter who has not been registered in the voter list 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 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 register the voter in the additional voter list of the polling district, shall allow him to vote according to the procedure  established by the Central Electoral Committee  and shall immediately notify the voter’s surname, name, personal code, his passport number and address to the constituency electoral committee. The electoral committee of the constituency shall check whether or not the voter is registered in the voter list 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 voter list of the polling district shall not be counted. Article 36. Complaints about Voter Lists 1. 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 voter lists due to which the voter is not registered in the voter list  in the manner prescribed by this Law or is registered in several voter lists. 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. 2. 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. 3. Complaints and comments shall  not be investigated after the expiration of  the term  established for filing comments or complaints. 4. Electoral committees of polling districts shall report to the constituency electoral committee about  the received complaints and changes made in the voter lists by the court’s decision, and the electoral committee of the constituency shall report to the Central Electoral Committee as soon as possible but no later than within 12 hours. CHAPTER V NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES  FOR SEIMAS MEMBER Article 37. Nomination of Candidates for the Seimas Member 1. 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. 2. 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 38. Application Documents for the Nomination of Candidates 1. 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 and assets return, presented to the State Tax Inspectorate, approved by that tax inspectorate to which the declaration has 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 Committee;  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 publis …