official translation official translation REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON THE AMENDMENT OF THE LAW ON ELECTIONS TO THE SEIMAS 19 July 1992 No. I-2721 Vilnius (new edition 18 July 2000 No. VIII-1870) (As

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 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.
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 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.
6. The Central Electoral Committee 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 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
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. 7 . Chairmen of polling district committees shall be appointed from among the members of the committee by constituency electoral committees.
16. During its first meeting the polling district committee shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary of the committee. Article
17. Powers of the Polling District Committee The polling district committee shall: 1) receive voter lists 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 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
18. A Written Pledge of Electoral Committee Members
19. A member of an electoral committee, its chairman shall take office upon having given a written pledge.
20. The Central Electoral Committee 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.”
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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
24. Organisation of the Work of Electoral Committees
25. 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.
26. 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.
27. The chairman or a member of an electoral committee who has 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 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
28. Appeals against Decisions of Electoral Committees Adopted before Closing of the Polls
29. 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 Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania.
30. 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.
31. Decisions of the Central Electoral Committee 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.
32. 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
33. Assistance for Electoral Committees
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. Electoral committees may recruit the required number of staff for additional work.
37. 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
38. 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 Committee and approved by the Government. Article
39. Changing of the Composition of Electoral Committees
40. 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.
41. 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.
42. 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
43. CHAPTER IV Voter Lists and VOTER CERTIFICATES Article
44. Voter Lists
45. 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.
46. Voter lists shall be drawn up two times - preliminary and final. These lists may be used only for the organisation and conduct of elections.
47. 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.
48. 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 campaigning. 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 campaigning. The parties must destroy the obtained data within 30 days after the proclamation of the final election results.
49. 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 Committee. 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.
50. 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 Committee 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
51. General Procedure for Registering Citizens in Voter Lists
52. 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.
53. 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.
54. 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.
55. 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
56. 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
57. 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
58. Public Announcement of Electoral Rolls and Access to Electoral Rolls
59. 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.
60. 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
61. Voter Certificate
62. 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.
63. 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
64. Delivery of the Voter Certificate
65. 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.
66. 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.
67. 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
68. Updating of Voter Lists before Drawing up Final Lists
69. 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.
70. 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.
71. 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
72. Registration of Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania Who Are Staying Abroad in Voter Lists
73. 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.
74. 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
75. Registration in Voter Lists of National Defence Servicemen, Voters who are Aboard a Ship and in Places of Confinement
76. 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.
77. 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.
78. 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.
79. 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
80. 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
81. Complaints about Voter Lists
82. 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.
83. 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.
84. Complaints and comments shall not be investigated after the expiration of the term established for filing comments or complaints.
85. 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
86. Nomination of Candidates for the Seimas Member
87. 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.
88. 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
89. Application Documents for the Nomination of Candidates
90. 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 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 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 campaigning; 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.
91. 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 Committee and the electoral committee of the constituency may also be presented.
92. 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, 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 Committee 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 registered in the voter list 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 Committee 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 Committee to register the person as a candidate for Seimas member.
93. 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, 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 military 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, and whether or not he has the citizenship of another state, also to answer the questions specified in Article 98 of this Law- and to sign the questionnaire. The person who is under allegiance to a foreign state must repudiate it in writing and indicate in the questionnaire how and when he has done it. Other questions, additionally established by the Central Electoral Committee, may also be included in the Seimas member’s questionnaire, to which the person is not bound to give answers.
94. 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
95. Registration of Candidates for the Seimas Member
96. Upon the commencement of filing of the lists of candidates, at the request of the Central Electoral Committee 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.
97. Upon receiving the application documents of a party, the Central Electoral Committee 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 Committee a copy of the valid statutes.
98. While checking the application documents filled in by a candidate for Seimas member, the Central Electoral Committee 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, Internal Affairs, Justice or other state institutions to furnish the data important for registering the candidate. Such appeal of the Central Electoral Committee must be considered as a matter of great urgency, and a written reply must be given within 7 days, but not later than 32 days before the election.
99. After the Central Electoral Committee has checked out the submitted application documents and established that they meet the requirements of this Law, it must adopt a decision concerning the registration of a candidate within 10 days following submitting of the application documents, but not less than 31 days prior to the election.
100. If there are any faults in the application documents, the Central Electoral Committee must immediately inform the appropriate representative for elections about them. Article
101. A Representative for the Election
102. 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 Committee 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 Committee 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 Committee 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.
103. 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
104. Election Deposit
105. 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.
106. 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.
107. 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 campaigning.
108. Within 40 days following the announcement of the final election results, the Central Electoral Committee 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 campaigning, which has to be published pursuant to this Law, has been published in the press.
109. The non-refundable deposits shall be transferred to the State budget. Article
110. Prohibition for One Person to be a Candidate in Several Constituencies or Several Lists of Candidates
111. 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.
112. 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.
113. 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
114. 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 Committee 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
115. The Right to Withdraw or Supplement Electoral Application Documents
116. 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 Committee thereof by a statement, the citizen - by a notarised statement and the relevant representatives for elections in the Central Electoral Committee 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.
117. 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 Committee. 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.
118. 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
119. Publication of the Names and Lists of Candidates, Beginning of Campaigning
120. With not less than 30 days prior to the election, the Central Electoral Committee 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 Committee 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.
121. Campaigning 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
122. The Right of a Candidate for Seimas Member to Speak at Meetings, to Use the Mass Media
123. After the commencement of campaigning, 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.
124. Heads of state and municipal institutions and agencies, 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
125. Liability for the Violation of the Law on the Elections to the Seimas Persons who by force, threat, deception, bribery or otherwise prevent voters from implementing the right to vote or to be elected to the Seimas, and to organise campaigning, as well as the members of electoral committees, other officers who have falsified election documents, made an incorrect vote count, violated the secrecy of voting or otherwise violated this Law, shall be liable under laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Legal action shall also be taken against persons who have released or otherwise disseminated false information about a candidate for Seimas member or prevented a candidate from meeting with voters. Article
126. The Right of a Candidate for Seimas Member to be Relieved from Work or his Service Duties during the Period of Campaigning Upon his request, a candidate for Seimas member may be relieved from work or other service duties for the period of organising and conducting campaigning for the election to the Seimas, but for not longer than 1 month. Article
127. The Immunity of a Candidate for Seimas Member Without the consent of the Central Electoral Committee, during campaigning 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, neither may administrative penalties be imposed on him by court for the actions performed in the course of campaigning. CHAPTER VII CAMPAIGNING Article
128. Basic Principles of Campaigning
129. The conditions prescribed by this Law to start campaigning shall be provided for parties and candidates who have nominated themselves from the day campaigning starts.
130. Campaigning may be conducted in any form or manner, provided it does not contradict the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Article
131. Conditions and Procedure for the Use of the Mass Media
132. 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 campaigning 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 heads of the Lithuanian national radio and television. The Central Electoral Committee 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 and 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.
133. The election programme of a list of candidates shall be published by the Central Electoral Committee within 20 days after its submission.
134. 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 Committee .
135. Campaigning in the commercial mass media shall be restricted only by the size of special election accounts.
136. All disputes concerning the campaigning shall be settled by the Central Electoral Committee in compliance with this Law. Article
137. Releasing the Material Compromising a Candidate for the Seimas Member and the Candidate’s Countering Opinion
138. If during campaigning 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 campaigning 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.
139. 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.
140. 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 Committee 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 Committee double the amount of the broadcast costs.
141. 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 Committee 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 Committee three times the amount of the broadcast costs.
142. In all cases a countering opinion shall not be announced during the period when campaigning 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.
143. When the candidate’s countering opinion is made public on the decision of the Central Electoral Committee, 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
144. Releasing the Material Compromising a Party which has Nominated a List of Candidates and the Countering Opinion
145. 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 campaigning 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.
146. 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.
147. The party shall give its countering opinion to the means of the mass media through its representative for elections at the Central Electoral Committee 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 Committee, 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 Committee double the amount of the broadcast costs.
148. 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 Committee 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 Committee three times the amount of the broadcast costs.
149. In any case a countering opinion shall not be announced during the period when campaigning 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.
150. When the countering opinion is released on the decision of the Central Electoral Committee, 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
151. Prohibition to Take Advantage of one’s Official Position for Campaigning
152. Anyone shall be prohibited from taking advantage of his official position in state or local authority institutions, agencies or organisations, as well as in the state or municipal mass media for any form of campaigning 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.
153. 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 campaigning. Article
154. Funding of Campaigning
155. Campaigning shall be financed from the funds received from parties or candidates for the Seimas member, which are being accumulated in a special election account opened according to the certificate issued by the Central Electoral Committee. The maximum permitted amount of money in the special election account shall be in the amount of 50 AMWs for a candidate in a single-member constituency and 1,000 AMWs for a list of candidates in the multi-member constituency. If the amount of money transferred to the appropriate account exceeds the established sum, the surplus shall be transferred by the bank to the State budget.
156. The expenditures of campaigning shall be: the cost of preparing, acquiring, producing or rendering of campaigning events, publications, radio or television programmes, as well as items or services aimed at influencing the will of voters to vote for or against a candidate or candidates. It shall be prohibited to cover these expenditures from other than these accounts. The items and services of campaigning the cost of which is more than 0.5 AMW may not be provided free of charge. The items and services of campaigning may not be provided giving obvious discounts. Those who desire to support a list of candidates or a candidate must do this by transferring funds to special election accounts. If expenditures related to the items of campaigning were made before the commencement of campaigning, the party or the candidate shall notify the Central Electoral Committee thereof, which, upon evaluating the items used for campaigning, shall reduce the permitted maximum amount of funds in the special election account by the above amount of the expenditure and shall issue a certificate that these items may be used during campaigning. The means of the mass media which has no state or municipal capital may indicate which list (lists) of candidates or which candidate (candidates) it supports and thereafter conduct their campaigning free of charge. In this event the means of the mass media may not be remunerated for campaigning in any other way. Where single services of campaigning, the cost of which is less than 0.5 AMW, are provided by the supporters of a candidate, a list of candidates free of charge (it shall not be permitted to the individuals specified in Article 54), their cost shall not be evaluated and shall not change the maximum permitted amount in the special election account.
157. Upon establishing that during the campaigning payment for the items or services used for campaigning has been made not from the special election account or in cash or indirectly, the tax inspectorate shall recover without suit the sum or remuneration (the sum or remuneration due) paid for the items and services used for campaigning from the receiver thereof and shall transfer the amounts to the State budget.
158. Campaigning shall also be financed from the State funds. A candidate, a party shall not pay for the time allotted to them on state, municipal radio and television under this Law, for the printing of campaign poster for a candidate in a single-member constituency, also for publishing an election program, lists of candidates in newspapers, and these expenditures shall not change the maximum permitted amount in the special election account.
159. The use of funds allocated for campaigning shall be controlled by tax inspectorates and the Central Electoral Committee. Parties must file with the Central Electoral Committee reports of the form established by the Central Electoral Committee on the sources of funds and their use for campaigning not later than within 25 days following the announcement of final election results. The Central Electoral Committee shall publish these reports in the Valstybės žinios (The official Gazette). The candidates of single-member constituencies shall, not later than within 15 days following the announcement of final election results, file with the Central Electoral Committee in the manner specified by it reports of the prescribed form.
160. Special election accounts shall be closed not later than within 20 days after the announcement of final election results. The candidates, the party which has nominated a list of candidates shall use the funds that have not been used for campaigning at their own discretion. The funds in the accounts which have not been closed by the due date shall be transferred by the bank to the State budget. Article
161. Prohibition of Campaigning on the Election Day
162. Campaigning shall be prohibited 30 hours before the beginning of an election and on the election day, with the exception of permanent visual campaigning 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 campaigning is prohibited no visual campaigning material (with the exception of those issued by the Central Electoral Committee) may be displayed in a polling station or within 50 meters of the building in which a polling station is situated.
163. Persons who violate the provisions of paragraph 1 hereof shall be punishable under law. CHAPTER VIII PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES OF THE ORGANISATION OF ELECTIONS Article
164. Establishment of Election Document Specimens The Central Electoral Committee 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
165. Ballot Papers
166. 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.
167. 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”.
168. 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). All the lists of the parties, coalitions (candidates’ names and surnames) shall be located in each voting booth.
169. 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.
170. Aboard the ship ballot papers shall be printed in accordance with the description transmitted in a radiogram by the Central Electoral Committee. 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
171. Delivery of Ballot Papers
172. 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 beginning of voting.
173. 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.
174. The Central Electoral Committee 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
175. Preparation of Polling Stations
176. A polling station of the polling district must be completely prepared for elections not later than 12 hours before the beginning of voting. 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 an 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 Committee, 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 campaigning material, except for the material issued by the Central Electoral Committee, 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.
177. Other requirements for the preparation of polling stations shall be laid down by the Central Electoral Committee.
178. 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
179. Election Observers
180. 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 Committee. 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 Committee - to observe elections in the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania and the country’s diplomatic missions or only in specific constituencies, polling districts upon the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, adviser to the President of the Republic or upon the request of the persons representing foreign states or international institutions, as well as at his 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.
181. 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.
182. 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 Committee and an appropriate representative for elections shall be immediately notified of the decision. CHAPTER IX VOTING Article
183. Time and Place of Voting Voting shall take place on the election day from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. in the place designated by the electoral committee of the polling district. The voter shall vote in the polling district in whose list of voters his name has been included, unless this Law provides otherwise. Article
184. 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
185. Commencement of Voting 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
186. Voter Identification
187. At the entrance to the polling station, a voter shall present his voter certificate, passport or other document certifying his identity and citizenship to an electoral committee member of the polling district. Upon having established that the voter has arrived at the polling district in whose list of voters his name has been included, 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 registered in the list of voters 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.
188. 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 registered in the list of voters, or if two citizens of the Republic of Lithuania registered in the list of voters of that polling district testify to this fact in writing to the electoral committee chairman, shall find the name of the voter on the list of voters, 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 list of voters 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.
189. 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
190. Voting Procedure
191. 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.
192. 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.
193. 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.
194. The voter shall personally cast his marked ballot papers into the ballot box.
195. 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.
196. 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
197. Voting by Post
198. Citizens who due to their health condition or other reasons are not able to come to the polling station on the election day shall be provided with a possibility to participate in elections by voting by post. Voting by post shall be possible at post offices during their business hours beginning 5 days before the election and ending 1 day prior to the election, provided the voter is put on the voter list of the constituency which is situated that city, region, and ending 2 days prior to the election, provided the voter is not put on the voter list of the constituency which is not situated in that city, region. Expenses related to voting by post shall be covered from the funds of the State Budget.
199. The head of the post office shall be responsible for the organisation of voting by post. He shall be responsible for keeping of records, issue and collection of ballot papers and voucher envelopes during voting by post. 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 the post office during voting by post. When necessary, he must, in conjunction with the chairmen of other polling district committees, whom the constituency electoral committee has assigned with such task, arrange for the organisation of members’ of polling district committees watching-over in post offices.
200. 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 voucher envelopes during voting by post, 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 the certificates of the established form. An electoral committee member, election observer, having produced his certificate to the postal worker, a voter, having produced the voter certificate and the document proving his identity, shall have the right to write his remark in this certificate, and 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.
201. Post offices must provide a room (place) where the voter can, without interference and in secrecy, mark the ballot papers and put them into a voucher envelope. Voting may be observed by the observers of parties and political organisations, who have certificates permitting to observe voting in any polling district.
202. The postal worker shall issue election documents to a voter in accordance with the procedure established by the Central Electoral Committee. 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.
203. Voting in secrecy, the voter shall: 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.
204. The outer envelopes, voucher envelopes, and ballot papers shall be delivered at least 2 days prior to the election by a postman to the homes of voters who due to their health condition are not able to come to vote at a post office or a polling station on an election day. A concrete schedule of postmen’s arrival to the homes of voters must be approved by the head of a post office not later than 12:00 noon, its copy shall be put on an announcment board and may be implemented only on the day following the approval. Not less than 2 committee members as well as observers may arrive at the voter’s home toghether with the postman. The list of such voters shall be compiled 10 days before the elections by polling district committees in accordance with requests to ensure the possibility to vote at home, which are of the form established by the Central Electoral Committee and filled in by the citizens. Polling district committees, with the consent of the chairman of a constituency electoral committee or a member of the constituency electoral committee authorised by the chairman, may supplement the list, if they receive the requests of these voters not later than 3 days prior to the elections. Citizens’ requests must also be approved by heads of town, regional care and guardianship or health surveillance and treatment institutions. The requests shall be appended to the list of voters who due to their health condition are not able to come to vote at a post office or a polling station on an election day, which is compiled by a polling district committee. Postal workers, electoral committee members or other persons may not bring envelopes for voting by post and ballot papers to the homes of voters who are not on the list of voters who due to their health condition are not able to come to vote at a post office or a polling station on an election day. The following persons may be included in the list of voters who due to their health condition are not able to come to vote at a post office or a polling station on an election day: invalids of Group I, invalids of Group II with motor disabilities and temporary working incapacity, if they submit requests, provided for in this Paragraph, to ensure the possibility to vote at home. Officers who furnish false information about voters who due to their health condition are not able to come to vote at a post office or a polling station on an election day, shall be held liable in accordance with the procedure established by law.
205. The sealed outer envelope (with the voter certificate, voucher envelope and ballot papers in it) the voter may: 1) hand to a postal worker; 2) hand to the postman who has delivered the election documents to him; or 3) put into a post-box.
206. When a voter votes at home, it shall be prohibited to exert influence on his determination and to urge him to vote. The voter who has no physical disability preventing him from marking ballot papers, shall himself put the secretly marked ballot papers into the voucher envelope, seal it, put the voucher envelope into the outer envelope together with the voter certificate and seal the outer envelope. Upon request of the voter who because of his physical disability is not able to do this himself, the person chosen by him (except the postman, electoral committee member or observer) shall assist him in doing so. The said person must keep the voting secret. The voter may hand the sealed outer envelope to the postman or to send it on the same day or another day.
207. It shall be prohibited to accept from the voter an outer envelope which is not sealed. Article
208. Voting in Diplomatic Missions
209. Voting in diplomatic missions (consulates) of the Republic of Lithuania may take place during its business hours, but for at least 4 hours a day. If the voter requests so, the diplomatic mission (consulate) may send and accept election documents from him by post.
210. On the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Electoral Committee shall compile the list of diplomatic missions (consulates) in which voting shall be conducted and shall establish voting days (no less than 10) for each diplomatic mission (consulate).
211. The head of the diplomatic mission (consulate) shall be responsible for the organisation of voting. Article
212. Voting on a Ship
213. Voting shall take place aboard a ship if the ship leaves a port of the Republic of Lithuania at least 5 days prior to an election and does not return until the day of the election, or if other circumstances are such that a crew member or a board passenger who is a qualified voter is unable to vote in his polling district, by post or in a diplomatic mission.
214. The list of ships, on which there are no less than 10 crew members - voters, with which the radio communication shall be maintained during the voting and on which voting shall take place, as well as the time of voting on each ship shall be compiled by the Central Electoral Committee on the recommendation of the Ministry of Communications in such a manner that each voter who is aboard a ship is given the opportunity to vote. The captain of the ship, who is a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania, shall be responsible for the organisation of voting on a ship. On a ship it shall not be voted for the rating of the list of candidates .
215. Voting shall not be organised on ships in which there are no conditions for organising the voting in accordance with the requirements of this Law. Article
216. The Procedure for Voting in Diplomatic Missions (Consulates) and on Ships of the Republic of Lithuania
217. Polling committees shall be formed to organise voting and count cast votes in diplomatic missions (consulates) and on ships of the Republic of Lithuania.
218. Polling committees shall consist of a chairman and at least two members. Polling committees shall be formed by the head of a diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Lithuania from among the employees of the diplomatic mission of consulate of the Republic of Lithuania, or from other citizens of the Republic of Lithuania residing in a foreign state. The Central Electoral Committee shall prescribe a manner of taking and signing by polling committee members written oaths.
219. Polling committees on ships shall be formed by the ship captain, taking into consideration the decision adopted at the meeting of the ship crew who are citizens of the Republic of Lithuania.
220. The Central Electoral Committee shall prescribe a manner of voting, vote counting and submission of records to the Central Electoral Committee as well as a manner of issuance of certificates to observers. Article
221. Voting in Medical Treatment Facilities and Institutions of Social Guardianship and Care
222. Special post offices designated for voting shall be established in medical treatment facilities and institutions of social guardianship and care. At least 15 days before the election the constituency electoral committee shall: on the recommendation of heads of medical treatment facilities, institutions of social guardianship and care compile the list of special post offices; on the recommendation of the head of the post office establish the working hours of these post offices. The head of the institution or facilities shall allot the place appropriate for voting and shall be responsible that the voters are notified about the working place and time of a special post office, and that the conditions should be created for voters to reach it.
223. Patients of such facilities and institutions who are able to move shall vote themselves in the polling place in accordance with the procedure set forth in Article 67 of this Law.
224. Patients or inmates of medical treatment facilities and institutions of social care who are unable to come to a polling place due to their health condition shall be visited by at least 2 committee members, observers (should they participate) and officers of special post offices.
225. The voting person must, in conditions of secrecy, personally mark the ballot paper and put it into the voucher envelope. If necessary, he may be assisted by an individual (except an employee of that institution or facilities, a postman, a member of the electoral committee, or an election observer) whom he trusts.
226. According to the instruction of the head of the medical treatment facilities or the institution of social guardianship or care, it may be prohibited to disturb patients who are in critical health condition for the purpose of voting. Such instruction shall be obligatory to postmen.
227. It shall also be prohibited to disturb an individual for the purpose of voting, if the commission of doctors has concluded pursuant to the established procedure of the Ministry of Health Care that he is incapable of understanding the essence of his actions at the time of voting because of chronic mental disease, feeble-mindedness, or temporary mental disorder. Article
228. Voting in Military Units
229. Special post offices designated for voting shall be established in military units of the national defence system and internal service, as established in Article
231. If possible, chief officers of military units shall provide conditions for servicemen to vote in polling stations of their permanent place of residence. Article
232. Voting in Places of Confinement
233. Special post offices designated for voting shall be established in places of confinement, as established in Article
235. In accordance with the procedure set forth in the laws, heads of places of confinement may allow sentenced persons to vote in polling stations of their permanent place of residence. CHAPTER X COUNTING OF VOTES Article
236. Counting of Voucher Envelopes and Ballot Papers in Post Offices
237. The records of voucher envelopes and ballot papers shall be kept by the head of the post office, indicating the data of said records in a journal specially designated for this purpose in accordance with the procedure established by the Central Electoral Committee.
238. The post office head shall deliver unused envelopes and ballot papers to the constituency electoral committee one day prior to elections.
239. The post office shall deliver envelopes containing ballot papers marked by voters to polling district committees on the day of the election, but not later than 2 hours before the closing of the polls.
240. The Central Electoral Committee shall keep records of voucher envelopes and ballot papers in the Republic of Lithuania. Article
241. Organisation of Work of a Polling District Electoral Committee Co