FEDERAL LAW

On the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

Law #228-ФЗ

Dated December 31, 1999

Adopted by the State Duma on December 1, 1999

Approved by the Federation Council on December 23, 1999

Unofficial Translation

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. GENERAL *

Article 1. Basic Principles of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 2. Legislation on the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 3. Electoral Rights of a Citizen of the Russian Federation in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 4. Federal Electoral District *

Article 5. Calling of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 6. Right to Nominate Candidates for the Office of President of the Russian Federation *

Article 7. Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation by Election Commissions *

Article 8. Right to Election Campaigning *

Article 9. Funding of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 10. Publicity in the Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 11. Inadmissibility of the Participation in Election Campaigns of Foreign Nationals, Stateless Persons, Foreign Legal Entities, International Organizations and International Public Movements *

Chapter II. ELECTION COMMISSIONS *

Article 12. System and Status of Election Commissions for the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 13. Formation of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Election Commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation *

Article 14. Formation of Territorial and Precinct Election Commissions *

Article 15. Appointment of Non-Voting Members of an Election Commission *

Article 16. Status of Election Commission Members *

Article 17. Powers of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation *

Article 18. Powers of the Election Commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation *

Article 19. Powers of a Territorial Election Commission (Raion, City and Other Election Commissions) *

Article 20. Powers of a Precinct Election Commission *

Article 21. Openness in the Activity of Election Commissions *

Article 22. Foreign (International) Observers *

Article 23. Organization of the Activity of Election Commissions *

Chapter III. ELECTORAL PRECINCTS, VOTERS LISTS *

Article 24. Formation of Electoral Precincts *

Article 25. Compilation of Voters Lists *

Article 26. Procedure for Including Citizens in and Excluding Them from the Voters List *

Article 27. Inspection of Voters Lists by Voters *

Chapter IV. ELECTORAL ASSOCIATIONS, ELECTORAL BLOCS *

Article 28. Definition of an Electoral Association *

Article 29. Electoral Blocs *

Article 30. Name of an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc *

Article 31. Authorized Representatives of an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc *

Article 32. Participation of Electoral Associations, Electoral Blocs in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Chapter V. NOMINATION AND REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES *

Article 33. Nomination of a Candidate Directly by Voters *

Article 34. Nomination of a Candidate by an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc *

Article 35. Ensuring Equal Status of Candidates *

Article 36. Collection of Signatures in Support of a Candidate *

Article 37. Submission of Electoral Documents for Registration of Candidates *

Article 38. Verification of the Data Contained in Signature Sheets and Information Submitted by Candidates, Electoral Associations, Electoral Blocs, Initiative Voters’ Groups *

Article 39. Registration of a Candidate *

Chapter VI. STATUS OF REGISTERED CANDIDATES *

Article 40. Equality of Registered Candidates *

Article 41. Guarantees for the Activity of a Registered Candidate *

Article 42. Agents of a Registered Candidate *

Article 43. Withdrawal of a Candidate, Registered Candidate *

Chapter VII. ELECTION CAMPAIGNING *

Article 44. Election Campaigning and Its Forms *

Article 45. Election Campaigning Period *

Article 46. Public Opinion Polls *

Article 47. TV and Radio Broadcasting Organizations and Periodicals Which Are Used by Registered Candidates for Election Campaigning *

Article 48. General Conditions for Election Campaigning on the Channels of TV and Radio Broadcasting Organizations and in Periodicals *

Article 49. Conditions for Election Campaigning on TV and Radio *

Article 50. Conditions for Election Campaigning Through Periodicals *

Article 51. Conditions for Election Campaigning by Means of Public Events *

Article 52. Conditions for Production and Distribution of Printed, Audio-Visual and Other Election Propaganda Materials *

Article 53. Inadmissibility of Misuse of the Right to Election Campaigning *

Chapter VIII. FUNDING OF THE ELECTION *

Article 54. Funding of the Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 55. Electoral Funds of Candidates, Registered Candidates *

Article 56. Special Electoral Account *

Article 57. Voluntary Donations to the Electoral Fund of a Candidate, Registered Candidate *

Article 58. Reporting Requirements to Electoral Funds *

Article 59. Return of Money by Candidates, Registered Candidates *

Article 60. Financial Support of Election Commissions *

Article 61. Review and Auditing Service of Election Commissions *

Chapter IX. VOTING AND DETERMINATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION *

Article 62. Voting Premises *

Article 63. Ballot *

Article 64. Absentee Certificate *

Article 65. Voting *

Article 66. Early Voting *

Article 67. Voting Outside the Voting Premises On Voting Day *

Article 68. Protocol of Voting Returns of a Precinct Election Commission *

Article 69. Counting of Votes and Compilation of the Protocol of Voting Returns by Precinct Election Commissions *

Article 70. Tabulation of Voting Returns by a Territorial Election Commission *

Article 71. Tabulation of Voting Returns by the Election Commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation *

Article 72. Determination of the Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 73. Repeat Voting in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 74. Repeat Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 75. Publication of the Voting Returns and the Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 76. Use of the State Automated Information System *

Article 77. Safekeeping of Electoral Documentation *

Chapter X. INAUGURATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION *

Article 78. Inauguration of the President of the Russian Federation *

Chapter XI. COMPLAINTS ABOUT VIOLATIONS OF ELECTORAL RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITY FOR VIOLATION OF ELECTORAL RIGHTS OF CITIZENS *

Article 79. Appealing Decisions and Actions (Inaction) Which Violate Electoral Rights of Citizens *

Article 80. Grounds for Refusal to Register a Candidate and for Annulment of the Decision to Register a Candidate *

Article 81. Grounds for Annulment of the Decision of an Election Commission On Voting Returns, Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation *

Article 82. Responsibility for Violation of Electoral Rights of Citizens *

Chapter XII. CONCLUDING PROVISIONS *

Article 83. Entry into Force of this Federal Law *

CHAPTER I. GENERAL

Article 1. Basic Principles of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. The President of the Russian Federation shall be elected by citizens of the Russian Federation on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

2. Participation of a citizen of the Russian Federation in the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be free and voluntary. Nobody shall exert any influence on a citizen of the Russian Federation in order to compel him/her to participate or not to participate in the election and nobody shall interfere with free expression of a citizen's will.

Article 2. Legislation on the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

Legislation on the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall comprise the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum," this Federal Law and other federal laws.

Article 3. Electoral Rights of a Citizen of the Russian Federation in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has attained to the age of 18 years on voting day shall be entitled to elect the President of the Russian Federation.

2. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has attained to the age of 18 years shall be entitled to participate in the nomination of candidates for the office of the President of the Russian Federation, election campaigning, monitoring of the conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and the work of election commissions, including determination of voting returns and election results, and in the performance of other electoral actions in a procedure established by this Federal Law, other federal laws.

3. Eligible to the office of President of the Russian Federation shall be a citizen of the Russian Federation who has attained to the age of 35 years and has permanently resided in the Russian Federation for not less than 10 years.

4. A citizen of the Russian Federation who resides or stays outside the territory of the Russian Federation during the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall have the same rights in the election as other citizens of the Russian Federation.

5. A citizen of the Russian Federation found incapable by a court or kept in places of confinement under a court sentence shall have no rights to elect or be elected President of the Russian Federation.

Article 4. Federal Electoral District

The election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be conducted in one federal electoral district comprising the entire territory of the Russian Federation. Voters residing outside the territory of the Russian Federation shall be regarded as being included the federal electoral district.

Article 5. Calling of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. Holding of the election of the President of the Russian Federation within the period established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and this Federal Law shall be mandatory.

2. Under the Constitution of the Russian Federation the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be called by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. A decision to call the election shall be taken not earlier than 150 days and not later than 120 days prior to voting day. Voting day in the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be the first Sunday of the month in which voting was conducted in the previous general election of the President of the Russian Federation. The constitutional term for which the President of the Russian Federation was elected shall begin from the day of his/her election. The day on which the President of the Russian Federation was elected is the day of voting which resulted in his/her election. The decision to call the election shall be officially published in the mass media not later than five days after it was taken.

3. If the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation does not call the election of the President of the Russian Federation as provided by Clause 2 of this Article, the election shall be held by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the second or third Sunday of the month in which voting was conducted in the previous general election of the President of the Russian Federation expire. The decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to hold the election shall be published not later than seven days from the last day of the period established for official publication of a decision to call the election by Clause 2 of this Article.

4. If the President of the Russian Federation ceases to exercise his/her powers before the expiry of the constitutional term in cases and in a procedure provided by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation shall, within 14 days of such cessation of the exercise of the powers, call the early election of the President of the Russian Federation. In this case, voting day shall be the last Sunday before the last day of three months elapsing from the day on which the President of the Russian Federation prematurely ceased to exercise his/her powers. The decision to call the early election shall be officially published in the mass media not later than five days from the day when it was taken.

5. If the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation does not call the early election of the President of the Russian Federation in pursuance of Clause 4 of this Article, the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be held by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the first or the second Sunday after the last day of three months elapsing from the day on which the President of the Russian Federation prematurely ceased to exercise his/her powers. The decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to hold the election shall be published not later than seven days from the last day of the period established for official publication of a decision to call the early election by Clause 4 of this Article.

6. In the cases provided by Clauses 4 and 5 of this Article the periods for the performance of electoral actions established by this Federal Law shall be reduced by one fourth.

7. If voting day in the election of the President of the Russian Federation to be called or held in accordance with Clauses 2 - 6 of this Article coincides with a holiday, a day before or after a holiday, voting day shall be the next Sunday.

Article 6. Right to Nominate Candidates for the Office of President of the Russian Federation

1. Candidates for the office of President of the Russian Federation (hereafter "candidates") may be nominated by voters, electoral associations, electoral blocs.

2. A Russian Federation citizen shall not be nominated a candidate if he/she is not eligible for election as President of the Russian Federation

Article 7. Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation by Election Commissions

1. The preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the measures to ensure realization and protection of the electoral rights of citizens and the control over observance of these rights shall be carried out by election commissions within the scope of their powers laid down by this Federal Law, other federal laws.

2. During the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation election commissions shall, within the scope of their powers laid down by this Federal Law, other federal laws, be independent of the bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government. Any interference by these bodies in the activities of election commissions shall not be allowed.

3. Decisions and acts of election commissions adopted by them within the scope of the powers vested in them by this Federal Law, other federal laws shall be binding upon federal bodies of executive power, bodies of executive power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, state institutions, bodies of local self-government, candidates, registered candidates for the office of President of the Russian Federation (hereafter "registered candidates"), electoral associations, electoral blocs, public associations, organizations, officials, voters.

4. During the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation election commissions shall be entitled to use the state automated information system to inform voters about the progress of the preparation and conduct of the election and the election results, to search for, acquire, replenish, process, transmit and store the information used in the course of the preparation and conduct of the election and to provide information support for the activity of election commissions carried out within the scope of powers vested in them by this Federal Law, other federal laws.

Article 8. Right to Election Campaigning

1. The state shall guarantee the freedom of election campaigning for citizens of the Russian Federation, political public associations in accordance with this Federal Law, other federal laws.

2. Citizens of the Russian Federation, political public associations may, in any form allowed by law and by legitimate methods, conduct election campaigning, i.e. the activities encouraging or aimed to encourage voters to participate in the election of the President of the Russian Federation and to vote for or against any registered candidate.

3. Equal conditions of access to the mass media shall be guaranteed to registered candidates for election campaigning.

Article 9. Funding of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. Expenses on the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be paid from the funds allocated from the federal budget.

2. Candidates shall set up their own electoral funds for financing their election campaign.

Article 10. Publicity in the Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. The preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be carried out openly and publicly.

2. All normative acts of election commissions, bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be published or made public in some other manner.

Article 11. Inadmissibility of the Participation in Election Campaigns of Foreign Nationals, Stateless Persons, Foreign Legal Entities, International Organizations and International Public Movements

Foreign nationals, stateless persons, foreign legal entities, international organizations and international public movements shall be allowed to not carry on any activities to facilitate or prevent nomination, registration of candidates, election of registered candidates.

Chapter II. ELECTION COMMISSIONS

Article 12. System and Status of Election Commissions for the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. The election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be prepared and conducted by:

the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

territorial (rayon, city and other) election commissions;

precinct election commissions.

2. In the election of the President of the Russian Federation the powers and operating procedures of election commissions shall be established by the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum", this Federal law and other federal laws.

3. Decisions of a higher-level election commission for the election of the President of the Russian Federation taken within the scope of its competence shall be binding on the lower-level election commissions.

4. Election commissions for the election the President of the Russian Federation shall, within the scope of their competence, consider complaints which they receive in the course of the election campaign about violations of this Federal Law, other federal laws as regards the preparation and conduct of the election, check these complaints and give written answers to the complainants within five days but not later than the day preceding voting day and, on voting day and the day which follows voting day, immediately. If the facts cited in the complaints require additional verification, decisions thereon shall be taken within ten days. Election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation may apply to law enforcement bodies and request them to investigate and stop violations of this Federal Law, other federal laws in the preparation and conduct of the election. Within five days, but not later than the day preceding voting day and, on voting day and on the day which follows voting day, immediately, the law enforcement bodies shall take measures prescribed by law to stop such violations. If the facts cited in a complaint require additional verification, such measures shall be taken within ten days.

5. Election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of electoral actions, the progress of the election campaign, the candidates, registered candidates.

6. A decision of an election commission for the election of the President of the Russian Federation which conflicts with federal laws or which has been taken in excess of the commission's powers shall be revoked by a higher-level election commission for the election of he President of the Russian Federation or by a court of law. In this case, the higher-level election commission shall be entitled to take a decision on the substance of the matter.

7. State bodies, state institutions and their officials shall assist election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the exercise of their powers, specifically, they shall, free of charge, provide the necessary premises and make security arrangements with regard thereto; ensure safekeeping of ballots, absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation and other electoral documentation; supply transport and communication facilities, technical equipment, information and materials; respond to the requests of election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation within five days or, during five days prior to and on voting day, immediately. Organizations which have a state share in their charter (authorized) capital exceeding 30 per cent thereof as of the day on which the decision to call (hold) the election was officially published and bodies of local self-government shall assist election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the exercise of their powers, specifically, they shall provide the necessary premises, transport and communications facilities, technical equipment, information and materials; respond to requests of election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation within five days or, during five days prior to and on voting day, immediately. Organization which carry out TV and/or radio broadcasting (hereafter "TV and radio broadcasting organizations"), editorial offices of periodicals indicated in Sub-clauses "a" - "d" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law shall provide a possibility to election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation to publish information and shall grant them free air time to communicate information to voters in a procedure established by this Federal Law, other federal laws.

8. Organizations, including TV and radio broadcasting organizations, editorial offices of periodicals which are not indicated in Sub-clauses "a" – "d" Clause 7 of this Article, their officials as well as public associations shall provide the necessary information and documents to election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation, respond to requests of election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation within five days or, during five days prior to and on election day, immediately.

Article 13. Formation of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Election Commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation

1. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation shall be formed in compliance with the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum."

2. If the legislative (representative) and executive bodies of power of a Subject of the Russian Federation have not appointed the members or some of the members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation in a procedure and within the period established by the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum," all 14 voting members or some of voting members of this election commission shall be appointed by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in compliance with the requirements established by the said Federal Law. If formed by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation consisting of 14 voting members shall be appointed for a term of four years.

Article 14. Formation of Territorial and Precinct Election Commissions

1. A territorial (raion, city and other) election commission consisting of five to nine voting members shall be formed not earlier than 70 and not later than 60 days prior to voting day by the representative body (representative bodies) of local self-government on the basis of proposals from electoral associations, electoral blocs, public associations, meetings of voters at the place of their residence, work, service, study, the territorial election commission of the previous convocation, if it acted on a permanent basis. By a decision of the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation agreed with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation several territorial election commissions shall be formed within one territorial-administrative unit with a large number of voters. If the law of a Subject of the Russian Federation, the charter of a municipal unit provides, in accordance with the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum," that a territorial election commission shall operate on a permanent basis, the election commission of the given Subject of the Russian Federation may, with the concurrence of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, confer the powers of a territorial election commission for the election of the President of the Russian Federation on the said election commission. The list of territorial election commissions formed in the territory of a Subject of the Russian Federation shall be approved by the election commission of this Subject of the Russian Federation taking into account the administrative-territorial division of the Subject of the Russian Federation and the location of the automation facilities of the state automated information system. The list of territorial election commissions shall be approved not later than 80 days prior to voting day and, within three days of its approval, shall be submitted to the representative bodies of local self-government and published in the mass media indicated in Sub-clause "e" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law.

2. A precinct election commissions shall be formed within a period which commences not later than three days after formation of the given electoral precinct and expires 27 days prior to voting day or, in exceptional cases, not later than two days prior to voting day by the representative body (representative bodies) of local self-government on the basis of proposals from electoral associations, electoral blocs, public associations, meetings of voters at the place of their residence, work, service, study and shall consist of the following number of members depending on the number of voters registered in the territory of the electoral precinct:

up to 1,000 voters - 3 to 7 voting members of the election commission;

from 1,001 to 2,000 voters - 5 to 11 voting members of the election commission;

over 2,000 voters - 5 to 15 voting members of the election commission.

3. If voting day in the election of the President of the Russian Federation coincides with voting day in the election of federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of Subjects of the Russian Federation, bodies of local self-government, the maximum number of voting members of a precinct election commission indicated in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article may be increased but by not more than four members. Additional labor remuneration for these members of the election commission shall be paid from the appropriate budget.

4. The representative body (representative bodies) of local self-government shall appoint not less than one-third of the members of a territorial, precinct election commission on the basis of proposals from each electoral association, electoral bloc which has a faction in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and also on the basis of proposals from each electoral association, electoral bloc which has a faction in the legislative (representative) body of state power of the given Subject of the Russian Federation and/or in the representative body (representative bodies) of local self-government, or on the basis of proposals from other political public associations, if the electoral associations, electoral blocs do not propose the required number of commission members. Not more than one representative shall be appointed to the election commission from each electoral association, electoral bloc, other political public associations.

5. If two or more representative bodies of local self-government take part in the formation of a territorial, precinct election commission, the decision-making procedure in respect of the membership of the election commission shall be established by the said representative bodies at their own discretion in compliance with the requirements of this Federal Law.

6. If the powers of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, legislative (representative) body of state power of a Subject of the Russian Federation, representative body of local self-government are terminated before expiration of their term, the right to make proposals concerning membership of a territorial, precinct election commission shall be retained by the electoral associations, electoral blocs which had factions in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, legislative (representative) body of state power of the Subject of the Russian Federation, representative body of local self-government of the last convocation.

7. Government and municipal employees shall not account for more than one-third of the total number of members of a territorial, precinct election commission.

8. If the representative body (representative bodies) of local self-government has (have) not appointed any or some of members of a territorial, precinct election commission within the period established by Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article or if there is no representative body of local self-government in the given territory, a territorial election commission shall be formed or some of its members shall be appointed by the election commission of the given Subject of the Russian Federation, and a precinct election commission shall be formed or some of its members shall be appointed by the appropriate territorial commission in compliance with the requirements of this Federal Law.

9. In an electoral precinct formed at a polar station, on a ship at sea or in the territory of a military unit stationed in an isolated locality far from populated centers members of a precinct election commissions shall be appointed on the basis of a decision of the meeting of voters of the labor or military collective by the head of the polar station, the ship's captain, the commanding officer of the military unit within a period established by Clause 2 of this Article and, in exceptional cases, not later than five days prior to voting day.

10. In an electoral precinct formed outside the territory of the Russian Federation members of the precinct election commission shall be appointed within a period established by Clause 2 of this Article by the head of the diplomatic or consular mission of the Russian Federation or by the commanding officer of the military unit stationed outside the territory of the Russian Federation.

11. In the Subjects of the Russian Federation where the system of bodies of state power provides for the formation of territorial bodies of state power of raions and other administrative-territorial units territorial election commissions shall be formed by the representative and executive bodies of state power in a procedure established by this Article. One half of the members of the election commission shall be appointed by the representative body of state power and the other half by the executive body of state power.

Article 15. Appointment of Non-Voting Members of an Election Commission

1. Each registered candidate shall be entitled to appoint one non-voting member to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, to each election commission of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, to each territorial, precinct election commission. A registered candidate may ask his/her authorized representative to appoint a non-voting member of a territorial, precinct election commission.

2. Non-voting members of an election commission shall be issued certificates of the form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. On their request the administration (employer) shall grant non-voting members of an election commission an unpaid leave of absence for the period indicated in Clause 1 Article 41 of this Federal law

Article 16. Status of Election Commission Members

1. Deputies of legislative (representative) bodies of state power, bodies of local self-government, elected officials of bodies of state power and elected officials of local self-government, judges, prosecutors, candidates, registered candidates and their agents, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, members and authorized representatives of initiative groups of voters which nominated candidates, non-voting members of election commissions, spouses and close relatives of spouses (children, parents, adoptees, adopters, blood brothers, blood sisters, grandchildren, grandfathers, grandmothers) and close relatives of candidates, registered candidates, persons who are directly subordinated to candidates, registered candidates shall not be appointed voting members of election commissions.

2. In this Federal Law "direct subordination" shall mean an official relationship between a superior and a subordinate in which the former exercises administrative-managerial powers in respect of the latter, i.e., has the right to hire and dismiss the subordinate or, within the scope of official authority, may issue mandatory orders, directives and instructions to the subordinate, award benefits to and impose disciplinary penalties on the subordinate.

3. A voting member of one election commission for the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall not concurrently serve as a voting member on another election commission for the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

4. The term of powers of voting members of election commissions shall expire simultaneously with the expiration of the term of powers of these election commissions.

5. Within a month and, during the period of the election campaign, within three days, a voting member of an election commission shall be relieved of his/her duties as an election commission member before expiration of his/her term of office by a decision of the body which appointed him/her:

(a) if the election commission member submits a written letter of resignation;

(b) in the event of the appearance of the grounds provided by Clauses 1 and 3 of this Article.

6. The powers of a voting member of an election commission shall be terminated immediately if:

(a) the election commission member loses Russian Federation citizenship;

(b) a court sentence passed on the election commission member comes into legal force;

(c) the election commission member is pronounced incapacitated, partially incapacitated, missing or dead by a court decision which came into legal force;

(d) the election commission member dies;

(e) a court of law acting on an application from an election commission determines, by its decision, that the member of the election commission regularly fails in the performance of his/her duties;

(f) the election commission is dissolved in a procedure set forth by the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to participate in a Referendum."

7. The body which appointed a voting member of the election commission shall appoint a new voting member of the election commission in accordance with the requirements of this Federal Law to replace the member who was removed from the commission for the reasons indicated in Clauses 5 and 6 of this Article not later than one month, or, during the period of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, not later than 10 days after a vacancy was created. Should the body authorized to do so fail to meet this requirement, the higher-level election commission shall appoint a new voting member of the election commission in accordance with the requirements of this Federal Law.

8. Chairmen, deputy chairmen and secretaries of election commissions and members of election commissions who work in the commission permanently (as staff members) shall bear responsibility for violation of this Federal Law as provided by the legislation of the Russian Federation in respect of persons holding official posts.

9. A voting member of an election commission working on a permanent (staff) basis shall not hold other government and municipal offices, be on the government or municipal service, engage in any other paid activities with the exception of teaching, scientific research and other creative pursuits and shall not carry on any business activities.

10. During the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation a voting member of an election commission shall not be subject to criminal prosecution or court-imposed administrative punishments without the sanction of the Prosecutor of the Subject of the Russian Federation or, in the case of a member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, without the sanction of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.

11. A voting member of an election commission - before expiration of his/her powers and a non-voting member of an election commission - during the period of the election campaign shall not be transferred to another job without their consent and shall not be fired on the administration's (employer's) initiative.

12. A non-voting member of an election commission shall have all rights of a voting member with regard to the issues relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation save the right to issue absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation; hand out ballots; sign ballots; participate in sorting out and counting ballots, canceling ballots and absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, working with voters list, drawing up the protocol of voting returns, election results; participate in voting on matters which are within the competence of the given election commission; sign decisions of the election commission. No remuneration shall be paid to a non-voting member for his/her activities from the funds allocated to the election commission.

13. Voting and non-voting members of an election commission shall be entitled to:

(a) receive timely notices of meetings of the election commission;

(b) speak at meetings of the election commission, make proposals on matters within the competence of the given election commission and request that these matters be put to the vote;

(c) put questions to other participants in meetings of the election commission in accordance with the meeting agenda and receive meaningful answers to these questions;

(d) inspect voters lists, ballots, other documents and materials of the given commission and the lower-level election commissions (including documents and materials on machine-readable media) and receive copies of these documents and materials (save the copies of voters lists, signature sheets, ballots, absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, income declarations and information about the property and property liabilities submitted by candidates in pursuance of Clause 6 Article 33 and Clause 12 Article 34 of this Federal Law). On his/her request the election commission shall certify these copies (save the copies of documents and materials on machine-readable media). Examination of documents and materials which contain information classified as a state or a commercial secret or other some secret protected by law shall be carried out in accordance with federal laws;

(e) appeal decisions and actions (inaction) of the election commission in the higher-level commission or in a court of law.

14. If a registered candidate who appointed non-voting members of an election commission acting on a permanent basis has been elected President of the Russian Federation, the powers of such commission members shall continue until the end of registration of candidates in the next election of the President of the Russian Federation. The powers of other non-voting members of the election commission shall terminate 30 days after the official publication of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation for all kinds of voting held in the course of the given election campaign or, if a higher-level election commission receives complaints (statements) about or protests against the decisions and actions (inaction) of the election commission which resulted in the violation of the voting and vote-counting procedures and if these facts are being investigated by a court, after a final decision is handed down on the substance of the complaint (statement) or protest by the higher-level election commission or by a court. The powers of non-voting members of election commissions which do not act on a permanent basis shall terminate simultaneously with the expiration of the term of powers of the given election commission.

15. The powers of a non-voting member of an election commission may be terminated at any time during his/her term and transferred to another person by a decision of the person who appointed the given member.

Article 17. Powers of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation

1. During the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation acting within the scope of its powers established by federal laws shall:

(a) direct the activities of election commissions for the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(b) exercise control over the observance of electoral rights of citizens of the Russian Federation during the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and ensure uniform application of this Federal Law;

(d) render legal, methodological, organizational and technical assistance to election commissions;

(e) direct the activity of election commissions to ensure uniform application of the state automated information system;

(f) register electoral blocs;

(g) register authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs;

(h) register initiative groups of voters and their authorized representatives;

(i) register authorized representatives of candidates, registered candidates for financial matters, agents of candidates;

(j) register candidates;

(k) issue certificates of an established form to registered candidates, their agents, authorized representatives for financial matters of candidates, registered candidates;

(l) ensure that the conditions of election campaigning established by this Federal Law, other federal laws should be observed for all candidates, registered candidates;

(m) hear information of federal bodies of executive power, bodies of executive power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and bodies of local self-government on the issues relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(n) determine the form and degree of protection of ballots, voters lists and other electoral documents and make arrangements for their production;

(o) determine the form of the absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation and make arrangements for the printing of absentee certificates and their delivery to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(p) approve the Russian text of the ballot;

(q) approve samples of seals of election commissions;

(r) approve the rules for the safekeeping of electoral documents and their transfer to archives and agree these rules with the Federal Archive Service of Russia;

(s) distribute funds allocated to it from the federal budget for financing the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the activities of election commissions and exercise of their powers; monitor proper use of the said funds and observance of the requirements of this Federal Law, other federal laws to the funding of election campaigns of candidates, registered candidates;

(t) take measures to implement a unified procedure for distribution of air time between registered candidates for election campaigning;

(u) work out and approve the quotas of technical equipment required for the operation of territorial and precinct election commissions, monitor compliance with these quotas;

(v) check provision to election commissions of premises, transport facilities, communication facilities and deal with other issues of the logistical support for the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(w) inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of electoral actions, the progress of the election campaign, candidates, registered candidates;

(x) consider complains (statements) concerning decisions and actions (inaction) of lower-level election commissions and their officials and adopt motivated decisions thereon;

(y) establish the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and arrange for their official publication; issue a certificate of election to the elected President of the Russian Federation;

(z) organize the repeat voting for the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(aa) organize the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(bb) exercise other powers under this the Federal Law and the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum."

2. If the term of powers of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation established by the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum" expires during the period of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall continue to exercise its powers until it submits to the chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation a report on the expenditure of federal budget funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election and the information concerning the sums contributed to and spent from the electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates, but for not longer than the period established by this Federal Law for the submission of the said financial report and the said information.

Article 18. Powers of the Election Commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation

1. The election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation shall:

(a) coordinate activities of election commissions in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(b) ensure interaction between the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the bodies of state power in the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(c) exercise control over observance of electoral rights of citizens of the Russian Federation in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(d) ensure that the conditions of election campaigning established by this Federal Law, other federal laws should be observed in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation for all candidates, registered candidates;

(e) ensure uniform use of the state automated information system in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(f) in accordance with the decisions of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation arrange for the printing of ballots in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation and make arrangements for the delivery thereof to territorial election commissions;

(g) make arrangements for the delivery of absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, other electoral documents to lower-level election commissions;

(h) distribute federal budget funds allocated to it for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the Subject of the Russian Federation, in particular, distribute a part of these funds between territorial election commissions, exercise control over the proper use of these funds and monitor observance of the requirements of this Federal Law, other federal laws to the funding of the election campaign of candidates, registered candidates in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(i) approve the list of territorial election commissions, establish uniform numeration of electoral precincts in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(j) ensure compliance with the quotas of technological equipment and with the rules for the safekeeping of electoral documents and their transfer to archives, approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(k) monitor compliance with the unified procedure for vote-counting, determining voting returns and establishing election results in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(l) hear reports of bodies of executive power of the Subject of the Russian Federation and bodies of local self-government on questions relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(m) determine the voting returns in the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation and pass on these returns to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(n) consider complaints (statements) concerning decisions and actions (inaction) of lower-level election commissions and their officials in the given Subject of the Russian Federation and adopt motivated decisions thereon;

(o) inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of electoral actions and the progress of the election campaign;

(p) exercise other powers in compliance with this Federal Law.

2. If the term of powers of the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation established by a law of the Subject of the Russian Federation expires during the period of the election campaign in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall continue to exercise its powers until the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation submits to the chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation a report on the expenditure of federal budget funds and the information concerning the sums contributed to and spent from the electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates but for not longer than the period established by this Federal Law for the submission of the said financial report and the said information. This provision shall not apply to the election commissions of Subjects of the Russian Federation which had been formed before the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum" came into force.

Article 19. Powers of a Territorial Election Commission (Raion, City and Other Election Commissions)

1. A territorial election commission shall:

(a) exercise control over the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the given territory;

(b) coordinate the work of precinct election commissions in the given territory, consider complaints (statements) concerning decisions and actions (inaction) of these election commissions and adopt motivated decisions thereon;

(c) hear reports of bodies of local self-government on questions relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(d) compile voters lists separately for each precinct in the given territory, save as provided otherwise in Clauses 3 - 6 Article 25 of this Federal Law;

(e) distribute federal budget funds allocated to it for the preparation and conduct of the election and, in particular, distribute a part of the funds between precinct election commissions, exercise control over the proper use of these funds;

(f) together with the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation ensure that the conditions of election campaigning established by this Federal Law, other federal laws should be observed for all candidates, registered candidates in the given territory ;

(g) arrange for the delivery of ballots and other documents to precinct election commissions;

(h) issue absentee certificates to voters for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(i) render organizational and technical assistance to precinct election commissions in the conduct of voting in electoral precincts;

(j) monitor compliance with the unified procedure for vote-counting, determining voting returns and establishing the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the given territory;

(k) determine voting returns in the given territory, release these returns to the mass media and submit protocols of voting returns to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(l) arrange for the safekeeping and transfer of documents relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in accordance with the rules approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(m) ensure compliance with the quotas of technological equipment approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(n) inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of electoral actions, the progress of the election campaign of a candidate, registered candidate;

(o) exercise other powers under this Federal Law.

2. The term of powers of a territorial election commission in the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall expire 15 days after the day on which the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation are officially published if no complaints (statements) and protests have been received by a higher-level election commission about the decisions and actions (inaction) of the given election commission, which resulted in the violation of the voting and the vote-counting procedure and if these facts are not being investigated by a court. If the voting returns or the election results in the given territory have been appealed or protested, the powers of the territorial election commission shall expire after a final decision has been handed down on the substance of the complaint (statement), protest by a higher-level commission or by a court.

Article 20. Powers of a Precinct Election Commission

1. A precinct election commission shall:

(a) inform the population about the address and the telephone number of the precinct election commission, its working hours; about the day and place of voting;

(b) update the voters list for the given electoral precinct and, in the cases provided by Clauses 3 - 7 Article 25 of this Federal Law, compile and update a voters list, allow voters to examine the voters list, consider complaints about errors and inaccuracies in the voters list and make appropriate corrections therein;

(d) inform voters about registered candidates on the basis of the information received from a higher-level election commission;

(e) exercise control over compliance with the rules for election campaigning in the territory of the electoral precinct;

(f) issue absentee certificates to voters for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(g) organize voting in the electoral precinct on voting day as well as early voting;

(h) count votes, determine voting returns for the given electoral precinct and submit protocols of voting returns to the territorial election commission;

(i) within the scope of its powers consider complaints (statements) about violations of this Federal Law and take motivated decisions thereon;

(j) arrange for the safekeeping and transfer of documents relating to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in accordance with the rules approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(k) exercise other powers under this Federal Law.

2. The powers of a precinct election commission shall expire 10 days after the official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation if no complaints (statements) and protests have been received by a higher-level election commission about the decisions and actions (inaction) of the given election commission which resulted in the violation of the voting and vote-counting procedure and if these facts are not being investigated by a court. If the voting returns in an election precinct, territory or the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation have been appealed or protested, the powers of a precinct election commission shall end after a final decision has been handed down on the substance of the complaint (statement), protest by a higher-level election commission or by a court.

Article 21. Openness in the Activity of Election Commissions

1. Members and representatives of higher-level election commissions, a registered candidate or his/her agent, the authorized representative of the candidate, registered candidate for financial matters may attend all meetings of any election commission and be present when votes are counted and a precinct, territorial election commission works with voters lists, ballots, absentee certificates for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, protocols of voting returns and election results. The aforementioned persons shall not need any additional permission from the election commission to attend its meetings and be present when the election commission works with the said electoral documents. The election commission shall provide free access for the aforementioned persons to meetings and to premises where it counts votes and works with the said electoral documents. Media representatives may also be present at the commission's meetings or when the commission counts votes and works with the said electoral documents.

2. An election commission shall inform the election commission of the next higher level, each candidate, registered candidate or his/her agent or authorized representative for financial matters about the time when the given commission is to hold its meetings or work with the said electoral documents.

3. Representatives of interested parties and complainants may be present at meetings of election commissions during consideration of complaints (statements).

4. Election commissions shall inform voters about the results of registration of candidates; biographical data of registered candidates and other information concerning the candidates, which was received by the election commission in accordance with this Federal Law; about the voting returns for each registered candidate and the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation

5. On voting day, including the day of early voting, the persons indicated in Clause 1 of this Article as well as observers, including foreign (international) observers may be present at polling stations from the time a precinct election commission begins its work and until it receives a message that the higher-level election commission has adopted a protocol of voting returns and also when votes are recounted.

6. Observers, media representatives, foreign (international) observers may be present in other election commissions when these commissions are engaged in determining voting returns, establishing election results, drawing up protocols of voting returns, election results and when votes are recounted.

7. Access to the premises of a precinct election commission of an election precinct formed in the territory of a military unit, in a closed administrative-territorial unit, at a hospital, sanatorium, holiday hotel, investigation and preliminary confinement wards and to the voting premises of the given election precinct shall be provided to all members of the election commission, persons indicated in Clause 1 of this Article, observers.

8. Each registered candidate, each electoral association, each electoral bloc, each all-Russian public association shall be entitled to appoint several observers to precinct election commissions, who on voting day, including the day of early voting, may, in rotation, monitor the proceedings at the voting premises during the time indicated in Clause 5 of this Article.

9. The powers of an observer shall be certified by written credentials issued by a registered candidate or his/her agent, by the electoral association, electoral bloc, public association whose interests are represented by the given observer. The credentials shall indicate the first, middle and last name of the observer, the address of his/her place of residence, telephone number (if any) and also the number of the electoral precinct and the name of the election commission (territorial, precinct commission) to which the observer is sent. These credentials shall be valid if shown together with a passport or an equivalent identity paper. No advance notification about sending of an observer shall be required.

10. The credentials indicated in Clause 9 of this Article may be produced to an election commission at any time from the first meeting of the election commission until it completes the work on the protocol of voting returns, election results, including the results of vote recounting.

11. Observers shall be entitled to:

(a) inspect voters lists;

(b) be present at the voting premises of the given electoral precinct on voting day at any time during the period indicated in Clause 5 of this Article;

(d) be present when voters vote outside the voting premises;

(e) watch the counting of the number of voters on the voters lists, the number of ballots issued to voters, the number of canceled ballots; watch votes being counted at the voting premises from a distance and under conditions which allow them to observe the contents of ballots; inspect any marked and unmarked ballot when votes are counted; watch the election commission drawing up a protocol of voting returns and other documents during the period indicated in Clause 5 of this Article;

(f) make proposals and remarks concerning organization of voting to the chairman of a precinct election commission or, in his/her absence, to a person acting for him/her;

(g) inspect the protocol of voting returns drawn up by the given precinct election commission, the protocols of voting returns of other election commissions to which he/she is sent (including the corrected protocol) and the protocol of the election results of the Central Election Commission, make or receive from appropriate election commissions copies of the said protocols and the documents attached thereto as well as copies of other documents which are received by these commissions or drawn up by them in the period indicated in Clause 5 of this Article, including the list of persons present at the voting. Upon an observer's request the election commission shall certify the said copies or issue him/her certified copies of the said documents;

(h) appeal decisions and actions (inaction) of the election commission to which an observer was sent directly in the election commission of the next higher level, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or in a court;

(i) be present when commissions recount votes.

12. Observers shall not:

(a) issue ballots to voters;

(b) sign for voters for the receipt of ballots, when asked to do so by them;

(d) do anything that might violate the secrecy of voting;

(e) directly participate in the counting of ballots together with the voting members of the election commission;

(f) do anything that may interfere with the work of the election commission;

(g) carry on election propaganda among voters;

(h) participate in the adoption of decisions by the election commission.

13. Media representatives shall be entitled to examine decisions taken and protocols of voting returns or election results drawn up by all election commissions (including corrected protocols), make copies or receive from the election commission copies of the said decisions and protocols and of documents attached thereto. Upon the request of a media representative an election commission shall certify a copy of its decision or copies of its protocols of voting returns or election results.

14. Copies of protocols and of other documents of election commissions shall be certified by the chairman or the secretary of the election commission. To do so, the aforementioned persons shall mark the copy to be certified with the words "This is a true copy," sign it, affix the seal of the election commission and indicate the date of certification.

15. Non-voting members of election commissions and observers present at voting and at vote counting on the premises of precinct election commissions may wear badges or cards showing their status and whom they represent. The badges and cards shall bear no elements of election propaganda.

Article 22. Foreign (International) Observers

1. Foreign (international) observers shall receive a permission for entry into the Russian Federation in a procedure established by a federal law and, if they have an appropriate invitation, shall be accredited by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. Invitations may be extended by the President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation after official publication of a decision to call the election of the President of the Russian Federation. Requests for invitations may be submitted by international and national government and non-government organizations as well as private persons who enjoy high prestige in the field of the protection of human and civil rights and freedoms. The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation shall extend invitations in accordance with the proposals of each electoral association, electoral bloc which has a faction in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

3. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall issue a foreign (international) observer a certificate of a standard form on the basis of the documents to be presented by him/her to confirm that he/she has been invited by any of the bodies or persons listed in Clause 2 of this Article. This certificate shall allow the foreign (international) observer to carry on his/her activity during the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

4. The activity of foreign (international) observers shall be regulated by this Federal Law, other federal laws.

5. The term of powers of a foreign (international) observer shall begin from the day on which the observer receives accreditation at the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and shall end on the day on which the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation are published.

6. A foreign (international) observer shall perform his/her tasks and functions independently, as he/she sees fit. The material and financial support for the activity of a foreign (international) observer shall be provided for the account of the organization which sent the observer, or for his/her own account.

7. During his/her stay in the territory of the Russian Federation a foreign (international) observer shall be under the state patronage of the Russian Federation. Election commissions, federal bodies of state power and bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation shall render him/her the necessary assistance.

8. After voting day foreign (international) observers may express their opinion about the electoral laws of the Russian Federation and the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, hold press conferences and apply to the mass media.

9. Foreign (international) observers may meet with candidates, registered candidates and their agents, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs.

10. Foreign (international) observers shall not take advantage of their status to carry on activities unrelated to monitoring the course of the election campaign, the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

11. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may revoke accreditation of a foreign (international) observer if he/she violates federal laws or the generally accepted principles and norms of international law.

Article 23. Organization of the Activity of Election Commissions

1. Election commissions shall carry on their activity on a collective basis.

2. An election commission acting on a permanent basis shall hold its first meeting not later than the fifteenth day after the appointment of its voting members but not before the term of powers of the election commission of the previous composition expires. By such time not less than two-thirds of the established number of voting commission members shall be appointed.

3. An election commission which does not act on a permanent basis shall hold its first meeting not later than three days after its formation. The election commission shall be competent to start its work if not less than two-thirds of the established number of its voting members have been appointed.

4. The chairman, the deputy chairman and the secretary of an election commission shall be elected by secret ballot at its first meeting from among voting members of the commission. The date and place of the first meeting of a territorial, precinct election commission shall be determined by the body (bodies) which formed the commission. Until election of the chairman of the election commission its meeting shall be presided over by the oldest member of the commission. The chairman, the deputy chairman and the secretary of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall hold their offices on a permanent (staff) basis.

5. Meetings of an election commission shall be called by its chairman or the deputy chairman or upon a request of not less than one-third of the established number of voting members of the commission.

6. Voting members of election commissions shall be obliged to attend all meetings of the commission.

7. A meeting of an election commission shall be competent to transact business if attended by the majority of the established number of voting members of the commission. A meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation shall be competent to transact business if attended by not less than two-thirds of the established number of voting members of the commission.

8. Decisions of election commissions on the election of the chairman, the deputy chairman and the secretary of the election commission and their removal from office, on the financing of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, on the registration of candidates, on the annulment of registration of registered candidates, on voting returns and election results, on declaration of the election not to have taken place or to be null and void, on the holding of repeat voting or repeat election, on the annulment of decisions of lower-levelelection commissions shall be taken by election commissions at their meetings by the majority vote of the established number of the voting members of the election commission.

9. Decisions of election commissions on other issues shall be taken by a majority vote of the voting members of the commission present at the meeting.

10. When a decision of an election commission is put to the vote, a voting member of the election commission may only vote "for" or "against."

11. In the event of the parity of votes cast for and against a decision of an election commission the chairman of the election commission shall have a casting vote.

12. On the request of any member of an election commission and any member of a higher-level election commission present at its meeting the given election commission shall put to the vote any matter within the scope of its competence, which is considered by the commission at its meeting in accordance with the approved agenda.

13. Minutes of proceedings shall be kept at all meetings of an election commission. All documents received by an election commission shall be registered.

14. The minutes of proceedings and decisions of an election commission shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of the election commission.

15. Members of an election commission who dissent from the decision taken by the election commission shall be entitled to express in writing their dissenting opinion, which shall be considered by this commission, recorded in the minutes of its meeting, attached to the said minutes and made known by the chairman of the election commission to the higher-level election commission within three days or immediately, if the dissenting opinion is expressed on voting day or the day following voting day.

16. Election commissions may hire personnel under civil-law contracts for the performance of work related to the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation within the limits of the funds allocated to it from the federal budget.

17. During the period of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation every week the TV and radio broadcasting organizations indicated in Sub-clause "a" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law shall provide not less than 15 minutes of free air time on their channels to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the TV and radio broadcasting organizations indicated in Sub-clause "b" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law not less than 10 minutes of free air time on their channels to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation to clarify electoral laws of the Russian Federation; inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of the necessary electoral actions and the progress of the election campaign; answer voters' questions.

18. During the period of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation the editorial offices of periodicals coming out at least once a week, which are indicated in Sub-clause "c" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law, shall provide, free of charge, not less than one percent of their weekly space to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. During the period of the preparation and conduct of the election the editorial offices of periodicals coming out at least once a week, which are indicated in Sub-clause "d" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law, shall provide, free of charge, not less than one percent of their weekly space to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation. The election commissions shall use this space to clarify electoral laws of the Russian Federation; inform voters about the periods and procedure for the performance of the necessary electoral actions, candidates and registered candidates, the progress of the election campaign; answer voters' questions.

Chapter III. ELECTORAL PRECINCTS, VOTERS LISTS

Article 24. Formation of Electoral Precincts

1. Electoral precincts shall be formed to organize voting and count votes in the election of the President of the Russian Federation. Electoral precincts shall be formed on the basis of the number of voters registered in the territories of municipal units in accordance with the requirements of Article 17 of the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum."

2. Electoral precincts shall be formed by the head of a municipal unit (if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for an office of head of the municipal unit, by a person authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government) with the concurrence of the territorial election commission not later than 30 days prior to voting day with due regard to the local and other conditions and proceeding from the need to provide maximum convenience for voters.

3. The number of voters registered in the territory of each electoral precinct shall not exceed 3000.

4. In places where voters stay temporarily (hospitals, sanatoria, holiday hotels, places of confinement of suspects, defendants, etc.), in hard-to-reach or remote regions, at polar stations, on ships at sea on voting day electoral precincts may be formed within the period indicated in Clause 2 of this Article or, in exceptional cases, not later than five days prior to voting day.

5. Servicemen shall vote in general electoral precincts. By way of exception, electoral precincts may be formed in the territory of military units stationed in isolated localities far from populated centers. Such electoral precincts shall be formed by commanding officers of military units on the basis of a decision of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation within the period indicated in Clause 2 of this Article or, in exceptional cases, not later than five days prior to voting day. In this case, access to the premises of the election commission and to the voting premises shall be provided to all members of the precinct election commission and higher-level election commissions, persons indicated in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law and observers.

6. Electoral precincts where voters staying in the territory of foreign states are to vote and the votes are be counted shall be formed by the heads of diplomatic and consular missions of the Russian Federation in the territory of the country where they are located, not later than 30 days prior to voting day. In this case, the requirements to the number of registered voters set out in Clause 3 of this Article may be waived. The heads of the diplomatic and consular missions of the Russian Federation shall inform the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation about formation of electoral precincts not later than 20 days prior to voting day.

7. The lists of electoral precincts indicating their numbers and boundaries (if an electoral precinct is formed within a part of the territory of a populated center) or the list of populated centers (if an electoral precinct is formed in the territory of several populated centers), location of the precinct election commissions and the voting premises, telephone numbers of precinct election commissions shall be published by the head of the municipal unit (or, if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for an office of head of the municipal unit, by an official authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government) not later than 25 days prior to voting day or, in exceptions cases provided by Clauses 5 and 6 of this Article, not later than three days after their formation.

8. For electoral precincts formed outside the territory of the Russian Federation the matters concerning publication of the data indicated in Clause 7 of this Article shall be decided by the heads of the corresponding diplomatic or consular missions of the Russian Federation, with due regard to the local conditions.

Article 25. Compilation of Voters Lists

1. Voters lists shall be compiled by election commissions separately for each electoral precinct in accordance with the form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. A territorial election commission shall compile voters lists not later than 26 days prior to voting day on the basis of voter data furnished by the head of the municipal unit (if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for this office - by a person authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government), the commanding officer of a military unit, the head of an institution where voters are temporarily staying.

3. The voters list of an electoral precinct formed in a hard-to-reach or remote region shall be compiled by the precinct election commission not later than 25 days prior to voting day or, in exceptional cases, not later than two days after formation of the precinct election commission, on the basis of voter data furnished by the head of the municipal unit (if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for this office - by a person authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government).

4. In an electoral precinct formed in the territory of a military unit the list of voters - servicemen, members of their families and other voters residing within the territory of the military unit shall be compiled by the precinct election commission not later than 25 days prior to voting day, on the basis of voter data to be furnished by the commanding officer of the military unit.

5. Full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are registered at the place of residence in hostels shall be included in voters lists where their hostels are located.

6. The voters list for an electoral precinct formed in places of temporary stay of voters (hospitals, sanatoria, holiday hotels, places of confinement of suspects, defendants, etc.), on a ship at sea on voting day or at a polar station shall be compiled by the corresponding precinct election commission not later than the day preceding voting day, on the basis of voter data furnished by the head of the institution where voters stay temporarily, the captain of the ship or the head of the polar station.

7. The voters list for an electoral precinct formed outside the territory of the Russian Federation shall be compiled by the corresponding precinct election commission not later than 25 days prior to voting day, on the basis of voter data furnished by the head of the diplomatic or consular mission of the Russian Federation or by the commanding officer of the military unit stationed outside the territory of the Russian Federation.

8. Voter data shall be collected and updated by officials indicated in Clauses 2 - 6 of this Article in a procedure established by the Statute on the State Registry of Voters and shall be submitted to territorial election commissions not later than 60 days prior to voting day, or, if the voters list is to be compiled by a precinct election commission, to such precinct election commissions immediately upon their formation.

9. Voters lists shall be made up in duplicate. Voter data shall be arranged in the voters list in an alphabetical or some other order (by populated centers, streets, houses, flats). The list shall indicate the first, middle and last name of the voter, the year of birth (for the age of 18 years - also the date and month of birth), the address of the place where the voter resides permanently or currently.

10. In the compilation of voters lists use may be made of the state automated information system. Voters lists shall be typewritten or, in exceptional cases, handwritten.

11. The first copy of the voters list compiled in accordance with the requirements of Clause 2 of this Article shall be handed over to precinct election commissions on the basis of transfer acts 25 days prior to voting day. The second copy of the voters list shall be kept by the territorial election commission and shall be used (in particular, in the repeat voting) as prescribed by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The voters list shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of the territorial election commission and certified by its seal.

12. In electoral precincts formed in accordance with Clauses 4 - 6 Article 24 of this Federal Law the voters list shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of the precinct election commission and certified by its seal.

13. Having received the voters list the precinct election commission shall check and update the list on the basis of personal requests of citizens in accordance with Clause 26 of this Federal Law, documents from the bodies of local self-government, officials, registries, bodies in charge of registration of Russian Federation citizens at the place where they stay and reside within the Russian Federation. The checked and updated voters list shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of the precinct election commission and certified by its seal not later than the day preceding voting day.

14. The persons furnishing voter data shall be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the data and its timely submission.

Article 26. Procedure for Including Citizens in and Excluding Them from the Voters List

1. All citizens of the Russian Federation who have a right to active suffruge in accordance with Article 3 of this Federal Law shall be included in voters lists.

2. A citizen shall be included in the voters list in a certain electoral precinct by virtue of the fact of his/her permanent or current residence in the territory of the given electoral precinct as established by bodies in charge of registration of Russian Federation citizens at the place of their stay or residence within the Russian Federation in accordance with the federal law regulating the procedure for the exercise by Russian Federation citizens of the right to the freedom of movement, choice of the place of stay or residence within the Russian Federation.

3. Servicemen who live outside the territory of a military unit shall be included on the voters lists at the place of their residence on usual terms. Voters-servicemen, members of their families, other persons who reside in the territory of a military unit shall be included in the voters list by virtue of the fact of their permanent or current residence in the territory of the military unit as established by the appropriate service of the military unit or bodies in charge of the registration of Russian Federation citizens at the place of their stay or residence within the Russian Federation, or on the basis of the order of the commanding officer of the military unit whereby citizens called up for military service are put on the staff of the military unit.

4. Citizens of the Russian Federation who reside outside the territory of the Russian Federation or stay abroad on prolonged business trips shall be included in voters lists by virtue of the fact of their permanent or current residence outside the territory of the Russian Federation or prolonged business trips abroad as established by diplomatic or consular missions of the Russian Federation.

5. Voters staying on voting day at hospitals, sanatoria, holiday hotels, places of confinement of suspects and defendants, other places of temporary stay shall be included in the voters list on the basis of a passport, an equivalent identity paper and an absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

6. Citizens of the Russian Federation who have been granted the status of forced migrants or have applied to the Federal Migration Service of Russia or its territorial agencies for the status of forced migrants shall be included in the voters list at the place of their temporary residence on the basis of a passport or an equivalent identity paper and appropriate documents issued by the Federal Migration Service of Russia or its territorial agencies.

7. While staying in foreign countries at private invitations, on official business and as tourists citizens of the Russian Federation who have a right to active suffruge shall be put on the voters list when they come to the premises of a precinct election commission, upon production of a passport or an equivalent identity paper and an absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

8. Voters who settled down in the territory of an electoral precinct after the voters list had been made available to voters for inspection, as well as voters who were not included in the voters list for any other reason shall be additionally put on the voters list by the precinct election commission on the basis of a passport or an equivalent identity paper and, if necessary, documents confirming their permanent or current residence in the territory of the given electoral precinct.

9. A voter may be included in a voters list only in one electoral precinct.

10. After the voters list has been signed by the chairman and the secretary of the territorial election commission a citizen may be excluded from the voters list only on the basis of official documents or when an absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation is issued to a voter in a procedure set forth in this Federal Law. In this case, a note shall be made in the voters list indicating the date when the citizen was excluded from the voters list and the reasons for the exclusion. This note shall be signed by the chairman of the precinct election commission and, in cases when an absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation is issued, by the member of the election commission who issued the certificate.

11. No changes shall be made in voters lists after the end of voting and the beginning of vote counting.

Article 27. Inspection of Voters Lists by Voters

1. Precinct election commissions shall make voters lists available to general public for examination and additional correction not later than 20 days prior to voting day.

2. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has a right to active suffruge may state to a precinct election commission that he/she has not been put on the voters list or inform the commission about any error or inaccuracy in the list. Within 24 hours or, on voting day, within two hours after this statement is made, and not later than the end of voting, the precinct election commission shall check the statement and the submitted documents and shall either remove the error and inaccuracy or give the voter a written answer indicating the reasons why the statement was rejected.

3. The decision of a precinct election commission to include or not to include a citizen in the voters list may be appealed in a higher-level election commission or in a court (where the precinct election commission is located) and these bodies must consider the complaint (statement) within three days or immediately, if the complaint is filed within three days prior to or on voting day. In the event of a decision in favor of the applicant, the precinct election commission shall immediately make the necessary corrections in the voters list.

Chapter IV. ELECTORAL ASSOCIATIONS, ELECTORAL BLOCS

Article 28. Definition of an Electoral Association

1. An electoral association is an all-Russian political public association (a political party, other political organizations, a political movement) formed in a procedure established by the federal laws and registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. An all-Russian political public association or modifications and additions to be introduced in the statute of an all-Russian public association to impart to it the status of a political public association shall be registered not later than a year prior to voting day. This period shall not apply to other modifications and additions introduced in the statute of an all-Russian political public association.

2. The list of all-Russian political public associations which meet the requirements of Clause 1 of this Article shall be made up by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. On the request of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation this list updated as of the date of the request shall be furnished to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation within ten days of the date on which the request was received.

3. A political public association which is a founder, member of or participant in another political public association acting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation as an electoral association or participating in the formation of an electoral bloc shall not act in this election as an electoral association either nominating a list of candidates independently or participating in the formation of an electoral bloc.

4. The rights of an electoral association shall also be enjoyed by electoral blocs formed for the period of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

Article 29. Electoral Blocs

1. Electoral blocs are groups of two and more electoral associations which voluntarily unite for joint participation in the election of the President of the Russian Federation and meet the requirements of Clause 1 Article 28 of this Federal Law.

2. A decision to join an electoral bloc (indicating the names of the electoral associations with which the electoral bloc is to be formed) shall be taken at the congress (conference) of each of electoral associations, after which the representatives of these electoral associations shall sign a joint decision to form an electoral bloc.

3. For registration of an electoral bloc its authorized representative shall submit the following documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation:

(a) notarized copies of the statutes of political public associations which formed the electoral bloc;

(b) notarized copies of the certificates evidencing that the political public associations which formed the electoral bloc are registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation;

(c) minutes of proceedings of the congresses (conferences) of the electoral associations and their decisions on the formation of the electoral bloc;

(d) a joint decision to form the electoral bloc signed by the authorized representatives and certified by the seals of these electoral associations.

4. Electoral blocs shall be registered with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation not later than five days after submission of the required documents. These documents may be submitted simultaneously with, but not later than, submission of the nomination documents of a candidate.

5. The reasons for the refusal of registration of an electoral bloc may only be the absence or improper execution of the documents indicated in Clause 3 of this Article, failure of one of or several public associations which formed the electoral bloc to meet the requirements of Article 28 of this Federal Law, other violations of this Federal Law. An electoral bloc shall not be refused registration if the number of its participants is less than that indicated in the decision of a congress (conference) of one of or several electoral associations which have formed the given electoral bloc.

6. During the period of the same election campaign the electoral associations comprised in an electoral bloc shall not join other electoral blocs and shall not act as independent electoral associations.

7. After an electoral bloc has been registered with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation it shall not admit any other electoral associations as its members.

Article 30. Name of an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc

1. An electoral association, electoral bloc which nominated a candidate shall submit information about the full name and the abbreviated name (consisting of not more than seven words) of the electoral association, electoral bloc to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. The name of an electoral association shall be the name indicated in the registered statute of the corresponding political public association.

3. The name of an electoral bloc shall be determined at the congress (conference) of the representatives of the electoral associations which formed the given electoral bloc. The name of an electoral bloc shall not make use of the name of any registered all-Russian public association which has not joined the given electoral bloc, regardless of whether or not this public association takes part in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, or the name of another electoral bloc which has already been registered in the given election. Neither shall an electoral bloc use the name which it used in the previous election of the President of the Russian Federation, previous elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation if more than a half of electoral associations which were comprised in the given electoral bloc in the previous elections are no longer its members. The first name and the surname of a natural person may be used in the name of an electoral bloc only with a written consent of the given natural person.

4. Electrical associations, electoral blocs shall not change their name during the election campaign period.

Article 31. Authorized Representatives of an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc

1. An electoral association, electoral bloc which nominated a candidate shall appoint representatives authorized, under this Federal Law, to represent the electoral association, electoral bloc in all matters concerning participation of the electoral association, electoral bloc in the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

2. Authorized representatives shall be appointed by a decision of a congress (conference) of the electoral association or a decision of representatives of the electoral associations which formed the electoral bloc or by a body authorized to do so by the congress (conference) of the electoral association or representatives of the electoral associations which formed the electoral bloc.

3. An authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall act on the basis of the decision provided by Clause 2 of this Article; the decision shall indicate the powers of the authorized representative; his/her first, middle and last name; date of birth; series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper and the date of its issuance; address of the place of residence; main place of work or service; position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service).

4. The list of authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall be submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in a printed and a machine-readable form according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The list shall indicate the first, middle and last name, date of birth, series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper and the date of its issuance, address of the place of residence, main place of work or service, position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), telephone number of each authorized representative. Appended to the list shall be a written consent of each of the listed persons to act in this capacity.

5. Authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall be registered with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

6. Authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs who hold state or municipal offices shall not take advantage of their official position or status.

7. The term of powers of authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall commence from the day of their appointment and expire when the person nominated as a candidate by the given electoral association, electoral bloc loses the status of a candidate, registered candidate but not later than the day of official publication of the general election results.

8. Subject to the decision of the body of an electoral association, electoral bloc authorized to take such decisions an electoral association, electoral bloc may at any time terminate the powers of an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc by serving a written notice to this effect on this representative and sending a copy of the relevant decision to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

Article 32. Participation of Electoral Associations, Electoral Blocs in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

Electoral associations, electoral blocs shall participate in the election of the President of the Russian Federation on equal terms and conditions in a procedure established by this Federal Law.

Chapter V. NOMINATION AND REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES

Article 33. Nomination of a Candidate Directly by Voters

1. After official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation each citizen of the Russian Federation or group of citizens of the Russian Federation who have a right to active suffruge may form an initiative voters’ group consisting of not less than 100 people for nominating a candidate.

2. Not later than 30 days after official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation the initiative voters’ group shall submit a written application to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for the registration of the given initiative group. The aforementioned period shall not be applied in the event of early election of the President of the Russian Federation.

3. The application of the initiative voters’ group shall indicate:

(a) the first, middle and last name of the candidate, his/her date of birth, main place of work or service and position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), address of the place of residence (the name of the Subject of the Russian Federation, raion, town, city or other populated center, street, house and apartment number), length of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation;

(b) the first, middle and last name, date of birth, main place of work or service, position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), citizenship, address of the place of residence, series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper of each member of the initiative voters’ group.

4. The application for registration of an initiative voters’ group shall be submitted together with the protocol of registration of members of the initiative voters’ group at the meeting which nominated the candidate and the minutes of the meeting of the said group. The minutes of the meeting of the initiative voters’ group shall contain its resolutions on:

(a) the formation of the initiative voters’ group;

(b) the nomination of the candidate, with the indication of the data listed in Clause 3 of this Article;

(c) the appointment of authorized representatives of the initiative voters’ group, with the indication of the data listed in Clause 4 Article 31 of this Federal Law.

5. The following documents shall be appended to the application for registration of an initiative voters’ group:

(a) notarized powers of attorney for the authorized representatives of the initiative voters’ group;

(b) the statement of the candidate expressing his/her consent to run, indicating the first, middle and last name of the candidate, his/her date of birth, address of the place of residence, education, main place of work or service, position (occupation if there is no main place of work or service), name of the elected office held in the body of state power or in the body of local self-government elected directly by the citizens of the Russian Federation (if any) length of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation, citizenship (if the candidate has Russian Federation and foreign citizenship - also the foreign citizenship and the name of the corresponding foreign state, the date when the citizenship was received and the reasons therefor). If a candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the statement shall also indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

6. Also attached to the application for registration of an initiative voters’ group shall be the information about the amount and sources of the income of the candidate, his/her spouse and children, information about the property owned by the candidate, his/her spouse and children and about property liabilities of the candidate, his/her spouse and children. The information about the amount and sources of the income shall be submitted in form of copies of the income declarations of the citizen who is a candidate, his/her spouse and children for two years preceding the year in which the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called (endorsed by the tax authorities). If the declaration does not indicate the sources of income, this information shall be submitted additionally according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. If under the laws of the Russian Federation on taxes and levies the citizen who is a candidate, his/her spouse and/or children does (do) not have to file an income declaration, information about the aggregate income for two years preceding the year in which the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called shall be provided by the organization (organizations) where this income was received. Information concerning the property owned by the candidate, his/her spouse and children shall be submitted in a form established by Annex 3 to this Federal Law. The list of the information concerning the income and the property of a candidate subject to publication in the event of his/her registration shall be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. If for two years before the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called the candidate and/or the candidate’s spouse and/or children received no income and/or if they own no property and/or have no property liabilities which are to be declared under this clause, this fact shall be indicated in the candidate’s statement expressing his/her consent to run.

7. In the statement indicated in Clause 5 of this Article a candidate nominated directly by voters may also mention his/her membership in not more than one public association registered not later than a year prior to voting day in a procedure established by law as well his/her status in this public association provided this information is confirmed by a document certified by a permanent governing body of the given public association. In this case, the candidate shall agree with this body and with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the abbreviated name of the given public association consisting of not more that seven words.

8. An initiative voters’ group may nominate only one candidate. A candidate may give his/her consent to run only to one initiative voters’ group. A candidate who consented to nomination by an electoral association, electoral bloc shall not give his/her consent to nomination by an initiative voters’ group.

9. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall issue to the initiative voters’ group a written document confirming receipt of the documents submitted in accordance with this Article, immediately after these documents were submitted.

10. Having made sure that the submitted documents meet the requirements of this Federal Law the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, within five days after their submission, register the initiative voters’ group and its authorized representatives and issue registration certificates to the authorized representatives.

11. The reason for the refusal of registration of an initiative voters’ group and its authorized representatives may be the absence or improper execution of the documents indicated in Clauses 2, 4 and 5 of this Article, presence of less than 100 members of the initiative voters’ group at its meeting which nominated the candidate or other violations of the candidate nomination procedure established by this Federal Law.

12. If registration of an initiative voters’ group and its authorized representatives has been refused, a motivated decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to refuse registration shall be issued to the authorized representatives. This decision may be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which shall adjudicate the complaint within three days.

Article 34. Nomination of a Candidate by an Electoral Association, Electoral Bloc

1. An electoral association, electoral bloc shall nominate a candidate after official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

2. An electoral association, electoral bloc may nominate only one candidate.

3. An electoral association, electoral bloc may nominate a candidate who is not a member of the given electoral association, electoral associations which formed the given electoral bloc.

4. A decision to nominate a candidate shall be taken by an electoral association at its congress (conference) by secret ballot.

5. When a candidate is to be nominated by an electoral bloc a person proposed for nomination from the electoral bloc shall be supported by secret ballot at a congress (conference) of each electoral association comprised in the electoral bloc. The said congresses (conferences) shall also approve representatives authorized to take a decision on the nomination of a candidate from the electoral bloc. The decision to nominate a candidate from an electoral bloc shall be taken at a congress (conference) of representatives of the electoral associations which formed the electoral bloc.

6. The decision of the congress (conference) of an electoral association, electoral bloc to nominate a candidate shall be recorded in the minutes (or some other document) indicating:

(a) the number of registered participants in the congress (conference);

(b) the number of participants, which is required for passing a decision in accordance with the statute of the electoral association, agreement for the formation of the electoral bloc;

(c) the decision to nominate a candidate indicating the candidate's first, middle and last name, his/her date of birth, education, main place of work or service and position (occupation, if there is no main place of work), address of the place of residence, citizenship, length of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation;

(d) the decision on the appointment of authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc;

(e) the date of the decision.

7. The decision of the congress (conference) of an electoral association on the nomination of a candidate shall be certified by the signature of the head of the electoral association and the seal of the electoral association. When a candidate is nominated by an electoral bloc, the decision taken by the congress (conference) of an electoral association which joined the electoral bloc on the nomination of a person proposed for nomination as a candidate shall be certified by the signature of the head of this electoral association and the seal of the electoral association; the decision of the congress (conference) of an electoral bloc on the nomination of a candidate shall be certified by the signatures of the authorized representatives of the electoral bloc and by the seals of the electoral associations which formed the electoral bloc.

8. Not later than 30 days after official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall submit the decision of the congress (conference) of the electoral association, electoral bloc on the nomination of a candidate to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. In the event of early election of the President of the Russian Federation the aformention period is not applied.

9. Simultaneously with the submission of the decision of the congress (conference) of an electoral association on the nomination of a candidate an authorized representative of the electoral association shall submit the following documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation:

(a) a notarized copy or the certificate evidencing that the all-Russian political public association has been registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation;

(b) a notarized copy of the current statute of the all-Russian political public association;

(c) the list of authorized representatives of the electoral association indicating the data listed in Clause 3 Article 31 of this Federal Law.

10. Simultaneously with the submission of the decision of the congress (conference) of an electoral bloc on the nomination of a candidate an authorized representative of the electoral bloc shall submit the following documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation:

(a) the minutes of the congresses (conferences) of the electoral associations which formed the electoral bloc with decisions on the nomination of the person proposed for election as a candidate from the electoral bloc;

(b) the list of authorized representatives of the electoral bloc indicating the data listed in Clause 3 Article 31 of this Federal Law.

11. Simultaneously with the documents listed in Clauses 8 - 10 of this Article an authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall submit to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the candidate's statement expressing his/her consent to run. This statement shall indicate the first, middle and last name of the candidate, his/her date and place of birth, address of the place of residence, education, main place of work or service (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), position, length of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation, citizenship (if the candidate has Russian Federation and foreign citizenship - also the foreign citizenship and the name of the corresponding foreign state, the date when the citizenship was received and the reasons therefor), and, on the candidate's request , his/her membership and status in not more than one public association registered not later than a year prior to voting day and his/her status in this public association. If a candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the statement shall also indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

12. An authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc shall also submit to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the information about the amount and sources of the income of the candidate, his/her spouse and children, information about the property owned by the candidate, his/her spouse and children and about property liabilities of the candidate, his/her spouse and children. The information about the amount and sources of the income shall be submitted in form of copies of the income declarations of the citizen who is a candidate, his/her spouse and children for two years preceding the year in which the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called (endorsed by the tax authorities). If the declaration does not indicate the sources of income, this information shall be submitted additionally according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. If under the laws of the Russian Federation on taxes and levies the citizen who is a candidate, his/her spouse and/or children does (do) not have to file an income declaration, information about the aggregate income for two years preceding the year in which the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called shall be provided by the organization (organizations) where this income was received. Information concerning the property owned by the candidate, his/her spouse and children shall be submitted in a form established by Annex 3 to this Federal Law. The list of the information concerning the income and the property of a candidate subject to publication in the event of his/her registration shall be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. If for two years before the election of the President of the Russian Federation was called the candidate and/or the candidate’s spouse and/or children received no income and/or if they own no property and/or have no property liabilities which are to be declared under this clause, this fact shall be indicated in the candidate’s statement expressing his/her consent to run.

13. A candidate may give his/her consent to run only to one electoral association, electoral bloc.

14. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall issue to an authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc a written note confirming receipt of the documents submitted in accordance with this article, immediately after they were submitted.

15. Within five days, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall consider the submitted documents and take a decision to register authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc or a motivated decision to refuse to register the authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc. If, at the same time, an electoral bloc submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the documents for registration of the electoral bloc as provided by Article 29 of this Federal Law, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall consider all submitted documents within seven days.

16. The reason for the refusal to register authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc may be the absence or improper execution of the documents indicated in this Article, other violations of the candidate nomination procedure established by this Federal Law.

17. In the event of refusal of registration a motivated decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to refuse registration shall be issued to the authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc. This decision may be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which shall adjudicate the complaint within three days.

Article 35. Ensuring Equal Status of Candidates

1. All candidates shall have equal rights and bear equal obligations, save as provided otherwise by this Federal Law.

2. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall ensure ready accessibility of the information about candidates and changes in this information (in the "read only" mode) to the users of the public information-communication networks.

3. Candidates holding government and municipal offices, persons who are not candidates but hold government and municipal offices shall not take advantage of their official position or status during the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

4. In this Federal Law taking advantage of one's official position or status shall mean:

(a) involvement, during the working hours, of persons who are subordinate to or dependent otherwise on the candidate in the line of duty, of other government and municipal employees in the activity conducive to nomination and/or election;

(b) use of premises occupied by state bodies or bodies of local self-government for carrying on activities conducive to nomination and/or election of a candidate, registered candidate, if other candidates or registered candidates cannot use the same premises on the same terms and conditions;

(c) use of telephone, fax and other means of communication, information services, office equipment of state organizations or bodies of local self-government for collecting voter signatures or election campaigning;

(d) use of state- or municipality-owned transport facilities free of charge or at reduced rates for carrying on activities conducive to nomination and/or election. This provision shall not apply to persons using the said transport facilities in accordance with the federal law on state-provided security;

(e) collection of voter signatures or election campaigning by government or municipal employees in the course of business trips paid for from the state or municipal funds;

(f) privileged access (compared to other candidates, registered candidates) or provision of privileged access to the mass media indicated in Sub-clauses "a" - "d" Clause 1 Article 47 of this Federal Law for collecting voter signatures or election campaigning.

5. Compliance with the aforementioned restrictions must not interfere with the exercise by deputies, elected officials of their powers and performance of their duties in respect of voters.

6. In the course of an election campaign no charity activities shall be carried on by candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs which have nominated candidates, electoral associations comprised in these electoral blocs, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, members and authorized representatives of initiative groups of voters which nominated candidates as well as organizations whose founders, owners, possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the said persons and/or organizations (representatives of the said organizations) and by other natural persons and legal entities acting on the request or on the instructions of the said persons and organizations. The said persons and organizations shall not ask other natural persons and legal entities to provide material and financial aid or services to voters and organizations. Natural persons and legal entities shall not carry on charity activities on behalf or in support of candidates, electoral associations and electoral blocs which nominated candidates, their authorized representatives, members and authorized representatives of initiative groups of voters which nominated candidates.

Article 36. Collection of Signatures in Support of a Candidate

1. An electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated a candidate shall collect not less than a million signatures in his/her support. Not more than seventy thousand signatures of voters who permanently or currently reside in the territory of the given Subject of the Russian Federation may be collected in any one Subject of the Russian Federation. If signatures are collected among voters who permanently or currently reside outside the territory of the Russian Federation, the total number of such signatures shall not exceed seventy thousand.

2. Collection of signatures in support of a candidate shall start from the day of registration of authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group. Collection of voter signatures before registration of authorized representatives shall not be allowed.

3. Signature sheets shall be made up according to a form shown in Annexes 1 and 2 to this Federal Law.

4. When voter signatures are collected, each signature sheet shall indicate the first, middle and last name of the candidate, his/her date of birth, main place of work or service and position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), place of residence of the candidate (the Subject of the Russian Federation, raion, town, city or other populated center) and the initiator of the candidate’s nomination. If a candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the signature sheet shall indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If the candidate has Russian Federation and foreign citizenship, the signature sheet shall indicate this fact along with the name of the corresponding foreign state. Each signature sheet shall indicate the name of the Subject of the Russian Federation in which signatures are collected and, if signatures of Russian Federation citizens are collected outside the Russian Federation, the name of the corresponding foreign state.

5. The signature sheet shall also indicate the membership of the candidate in the public association, which the candidate indicated in his/her statement of consent to run in accordance with Clause 7 Article 33 or Clause 11 Article 34 of this Federal Law, and his/her status in this public association.

6. Participation of the governing bodies of organizations of all forms of ownership, institutions in the collection of signatures shall not be allowed. It shall be prohibited to resort to coercion in order to force voters to put their signatures, to remunerate them in any manner for doing so and to collect voter signatures when and where wages and salaries are paid or charity is given. Gross or repeated violation of these bans may serve as a reason for invalidating the collected signatures and/or denying registration of a candidate, canceling registration of a registered candidate.

7. Collection of voter signatures may be carried out by adult competent citizens of the Russian Federation. A candidate may sign a contract with a signature collector for collection of voter signatures. Payment for this work shall be made only through the electoral fund of a candidate.

8. Voter signatures may be collected at the place of work, service, study, residence and in other places where signature collection and election campaigning are not prohibited by federal laws.

9. Voters may put their signature in support of several candidates but only once in support of the same candidate. A voter shall put his/her signature on the signature sheet, mark the corresponding date and write the following data: his/her first, middle and last name, year of birth (if the voter is 18 years old as of the day when he/she signs the signature list, also the day and month of birth), place of residence, series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper and the date of its issuance. The data of voters who put their signatures in support of a candidate may be written on the signature sheet by the signature collector. This data shall not be written otherwise than by hand.

10. During collection of voter signatures the signature sheet may be completed both on the face and on the back. The back shall be continuation of the face which together with the back shall have a single consecutive numeration of signatures. The certifying signatures shall be put on the back of the signature sheet.

11. The signature sheet shall be certified by the signature collector, who shall, with his/her own hand, write his/her first, middle and last name, address of the place of residence, series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper and the date of its issuance, sign the signature sheet and mark the date whet it was signed, and by an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate, who shall sign the sheet and mark the date with his/her own hand against his/her first, middle and last name.

12. After collection of voter signatures has been completed authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated a candidate shall count the number of collected signatures separately for each Subject of the Russian Federation where signatures were collected, the number of the collected signatures of voters residing outside the Russian Federation and the total number of signatures. The counts shall be entered in a protocol of the results of signature collection, which shall be signed by authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group.

13. In the event of the early or repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation the number of voter signatures indicated in Clause 1 of this Article shall be reduced by half.

Article 37. Submission of Electoral Documents for Registration of Candidates

1. For registration of a candidate the candidate or an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group shall, not earlier than 90 days and not later than 55 days prior to voting day, submit the following electoral documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation before 18.00 hours, Moscow time:

(a) signature sheets with voter signatures collected in support of nomination of the candidate;

(b) a protocol of signature collection results on a paper medium, in duplicate, and on a machine-readable medium according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(c) information about changes in the candidate's data submitted earlier in pursuance of Clauses 5 and 7 Article 33 and Clause 11 Article 34 of this Federal Law;

(d) the first financial report of the candidate.

2. Signature sheets submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be numbered and bound into files according to the Subjects of the Russian Federation, foreign states where signatures were collected.

3. The number of voter signatures in support of a candidate submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may be larger than the number of signatures required for registration under this Federal Law but shall not exceed this number by not more than 15 percent.

4. When accepting electoral documents the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall certify each file containing signature sheets with the seal of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, make sure that the number of the submitted signature sheets corresponds to the number indicated in the protocol of the results of voter signature collection and then issue to the candidate or an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group a written receipt certifying the acceptance of the signature sheets and indicating the number of accepted signature sheets, the stated number of signatures, the date and time of acceptance of the signature lists. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall not restrict admission to the commission’s premises for a candidate, an authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated candidates nor shall it refuse to accept from these persons the electoral documents required for registration if the documents were delivered before expiration of the time indicated in Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 38. Verification of the Data Contained in Signature Sheets and Information Submitted by Candidates, Electoral Associations, Electoral Blocs, Initiative Voters’ Groups

1. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall check to make sure that nomination of a candidate was carried out in conformity with the requirements of this Federal Law and shall verify the data contained in the signature sheets in support of the candidate for each electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which submitted the documents required by this Federal Law. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may verify the biographical data and other information submitted by candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters which nominated candidates in accordance with this Federal Law.

2. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, other election commissions may request appropriate bodies to verify the data and information submitted in accordance with this Federal Law, and these bodies shall inform the election commission about the results of the verification within the time established by the election commission. In the period which ends ten days prior to voting day this time shall not exceed ten days.

3. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may, by its decision, form working groups from the members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, members of its staff, invited specialists to verify voter signatures and the accompanying data contained in the signature sheets. Such verification may be carried out with the involvement of members of lower-level election commissions, experts from among specialists of the internal-affairs agencies, juridical bodies of the Russian Federation, military commissariats, and other specialized institutions and organizations in charge of registration of the population in the Russian Federation. As a result of their conclusions the data in signature sheets may be pronounced unauthentic. In order to establish the authenticity of the data contained in signature sheets the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may use the State Registry of Voters, Referendum Participants.

4. Verification shall cover not less than 20 percent of the number of voter signatures in support of each candidate required for the registration of a candidate and the accompanying data of voters who put their signatures in signature sheets.

5. An equal number of signatures collected in support of each candidate shall be sampled for initial verification. Signature sheets to be subjected to selective verification shall be chosen by random sampling (by lot). The random sampling procedure shall be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Lot-drawing and verification of signature sheets may be witnessed by a candidate, an authorized representative of the candidate for financial matters, an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group. Lot-drawing shall be held directly after issuance of a written confirmation of the acceptance of the signature sheets. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall inform in advance the aforementioned persons of the time appointed for verification of the collected signatures. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall not deny other persons sent by a candidate, electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group a possibility to be present at signature verification. Verification shall cover all signatures on the signature sheets chosen for verification and the accompanying data.

6. On the basis of verification of the signatures and the data contained in signature sheets a voter signature may be pronounced authentic or unauthentic or invalid.

7. The signatures and the accompanying data entered in signature sheets but deleted (stricken out) by nominators of a candidate before the signature sheets were submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall not be verified or counted if the nominators have made a special note to confirm the deletion.

8. If verification of signature sheets reveals several signatures put by one person in support of the nomination of the same candidate, only one signature shall be deemed authentic and the remaining signatures shall be pronounced unauthentic.

9. The following signatures shall be pronounced unauthentic:

(a) signatures of persons who do not have a right to active suffrage in the given Subject of the Russian Federation and signatures of voters who indicated wrong data in signature sheets. In this case, a signature shall be pronounced unauthentic if an official conclusion was received from an internal affairs body or an expert involved in the verification of signatures in accordance with Clause 3 of this Article;

(b) voter signatures which are not accompanied by some of the data required under this Federal Law or are not dated by the voter who put his/her signature on the signature sheet

(d) voter signatures accompanied by voter data which are not hand-written or are written with a pencil;

(e) voter signatures with the signing date corrected by voters and by persons certifying signature sheets if the corrections are not expressly endorsed by the voter or the person certifying signature sheets, respectively, as well as voter signatures with the signing date written by persons other than the voter;

(f) voter signatures with corrections in the accompanying voter data if the corrections are not expressly endorsed by the voter or the person certifying the signature sheets;

(g) all signatures on a signature sheet if the signature sheet is not certified by an autograph signature of the signature collector and/or an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group or if this signature is unauthentic or if the data of the signature collector, the signing date put by the signature collector, the authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group were corrected and the corrections are not expressly endorsed by, respectively, the signature collector, the authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group.

10. Signatures written in the name of several persons by one person or in the name of one person by another person shall be pronounced unauthentic on the basis of a written conclusion of an expert involved in verification of signatures in accordance with Clause 3 of this Article.

11. The following signatures shall be pronounced invalid:

(a) voter signatures put on a signature sheet before the date on which authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate were registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation;

(b) signatures found invalid on the basis of Clause 6 Article 36 of this Federal Law;

(c) voter signatures if voter data were written on signature sheets not by voters who put their signatures and not by persons who collected signatures appearing on the given signature sheet – on the basis of a written conclusion of an expert engaged for verification of signatures in accordance with Clause 3 of this Article;

(d) all signatures on a signature sheet which does not meet the requirements set forth in Annexes 1 and 2 to this Federal Law.

12. If a filled-in line (lines) is (are) discovered on the signature sheet, which does (do) not meet the requirements of this Federal Law, only the signature in the given line ((lines) shall be disregarded, except as provided by Clause 8, Sub-clause "d" Clause 9 and Sub-clause "d" Clause 11 of this Article.

13. Corrections and blots expressly endorsed when a signature sheet was made up shall not be a reason for pronouncing a signature unauthentic when signatures are verified or counted, unless the signature is found unauthentic in accordance with Clauses 8 and 9 of this Article.

14. If the number of signatures found to be unauthentic in the course of selective verification exceeds 15 percent of the number of signatures selected for verification, an additional 10 per cent of the number of voter signatures required for registration shall be subjected to verification in a procedure set forth in this article.

15. If the total number of unauthentic and invalid signatures discovered in the course of selective verification exceeds 15 percent of the total number of signatures subject to verification under Clauses 5 and 14 of this Article, further verification of the signature sheets shall be discontinued and the candidate shall not be registered.

16. Neither shall a candidate be registered if the number of submitted voter signatures minus the number of signatures found unauthentic and invalid is insufficient for registration.

17. After the end of verification of signature sheets a protocol of verification results shall be drawn up for each candidate. The protocol shall be signed by the head of the working group - a voting member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and shall be submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for adoption of an appropriate decision. The protocol shall indicate the stated number of voter signatures in support of a candidate; the number of submitted voter signatures; the number of signatures subjected to verification; the number of signatures found to be unauthentic and invalid and the reasons therefor. This protocol shall be appended to the appropriate decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. No changes shall be made in the protocol after the decision has been taken by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. A copy of the protocol shall be given to the candidate or to an authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group not less than 12 hours prior to the meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation at which registration of the candidate is to be considered. If the number of authentic signatures has been found to be insufficient or if more than 15 percent of voter signatures subjected to verification have been found to be unauthentic and invalid, the candidate or an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group may receive from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the protocol and a copy of the verification report certified by the head of the working group. The report shall set forth the reasons why voter signatures were pronounced unauthentic and invalid and indicate the number of the file, the number of the signature sheet and the number of the line on the signature sheet wherein each such signature in contained.

Article 39. Registration of a Candidate

1. Not later than ten days after acceptance of signature sheets and other documents required for registration of a candidate the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall either register the candidate or take a motivated decision to refuse registration of a candidate. If the registered candidate was nominated by an electoral association, electoral bloc, the decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall mention that the candidate has been nominated by an electoral association, electoral bloc. The decision to register a candidate shall indicate the date and time of the registration.

2. If a candidate, registered candidate uses a pseudonym in his/her creative activity or if there are persons bearing the same surnames among the candidates, registered candidates, the said candidate, registered candidate may, within five days after the deadline for the submission of documents for registration of candidates to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, register his/her creative pseudonym with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and, if there is another person bearing the same surname, any pseudonym which he/she may use in the course of election campaigning along with his/her true first, middle and last name. The pseudonym of a candidate, registered candidate shall be indicated, along with the true first, middle and last name, in all official documents (including information documents) and in other materials issued by the election commissions. Such a pseudonym shall not be the name or the already registered pseudonym of some other candidate, registered candidate.

3. Having taken a decision to refuse registration of a candidate, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, within 24 hours after the decision was taken, issue a copy of this decision stating the reasons for the refusal to the candidate or to an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate. The reasons for the refusal may be as follows:

(a) essential violation of the signature collecting procedure established by this Federal Law;

(b) absence or improper execution of the documents indicated in Articles 33, 34 and 37 of this Federal Law;

(c) insufficient number of submitted authentic voter signatures in support of the candidate or the proportion of unauthentic and invalid signatures found among the signatures subjected to verification exceeding 15 percent;

(d) inaccuracy of the information submitted by the candidate in accordance with this Federal Law, if the inaccuracy is essential, including failure to declare the income exceeding by more than 200 times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation, if such income accounts for more than 10 percent of the income declared in accordance with this Federal Law; failure to declare apartments, houses, land plots, air, sea, river craft, an enterprise (a part thereof) owned by the candidate; failure to declare a deposit (deposits, a part of the deposit) in settlement accounts exceeding by more than 200 times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation if this deposit exceeds by more than 10 percent the amount of the deposit (deposits) in the settlement accounts declared under this Federal Law.

(e) essential violation of the rules for the formation and expenditure of the electoral fund of the candidate;

(f) violation of Clause 6 Article 35 of this Federal Law by the candidate, the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate and their authorized representatives;

(g) other reasons provided by this Federal Law.

4. Upon discovery of an offence which entails criminal or administrative liability the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall hand over appropriate electoral documents and other materials to law enforcement bodies to bring to responsibility the persons guilty of violation of this Federal Law.

5. If the inaccuracy of the information submitted by a candidate in pursuance of Articles 33, 34 and 37 of this Federal Law has been established after registration of the candidate and this inaccuracy is essential, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may, not later than 16 days prior to voting day, annul the decision to register the candidate or, 15 days to 1 day prior to voting day, apply to a court for annulment of the candidate's registration.

6. The decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to register a candidate or to refuse his/her registration may be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The appeal shall be adjudicated within five days.

7. A certificate of registration shall be issued to each registered candidate, indicating the date and time of registration. Within 48 hours after registration the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall release the data about the registered candidates to the mass media. Not later than 15 days prior to voting day territorial election commissions shall display information about registered candidates on bulletin boards inside their premises; the said information shall contain the data listed in Clauses 5 and 7 Article 33 and Clause 11 Article 34 of this Federal Law. The same procedure shall be used to announce information about annulment of registration of registered candidates, changes in the membership of electoral blocs which nominated registered candidates. The information concerning registered candidates shall be arranged in the same order as on ballots.

8. If, 45 days prior to voting day, less than two candidates are registered, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall take a decision to postpone the election for a period of up to 60 days for additional nomination of candidates and performance of subsequent electoral actions.

Charter VI. STATUS OF REGISTERED CANDIDATES

Article 40. Equality of Registered Candidates

1. All registered candidates shall have equal rights and bear equal obligations, except as provided otherwise by this Federal Law, Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum," other federal laws.

2. Registered candidates holding government offices of category "A" according to the federal law "On the Basic Principles of the Civil Service in the Russian Federation" and registered candidate holding elective municipal offices shall not take advantage of their official position.

3. Registered candidates who are on the civil or municipal service or work in the mass media under a labor agreement or a civil-law contract shall be released from the performance of their official duties during their participation in the election of the President of the Russian Federation .Within three days after registration, they shall submit to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation a certified copy of the relevant order (directive) or copies of the documents certifying that in this period they applied for the release from their duties, and they shall not take advantage of their official position or status. The President of the Russian Federation running for election for a second term or the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation who, under the Constitution of the Russian Federation, acts as President of the Russian Federation and is a registered candidate shall continue to exercise his/her powers but shall not take advantage of his/her official position.

4. Violations of the principle of equal suffrage committed by taking advantage of one's official position and status are listed in Clause 4 Article 35 of this Federal Law.

5. Registered candidates holding government offices of category "A" or elective municipal offices shall carry on election campaigning only when the are off duty (on leave, on weekends and holidays, on other days off). This rule shall not apply when the said registered candidates use free air time on the channels of the state and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations in accordance with Article 49 of this Federal Law.

6. Officials, journalists and creative staff of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of print media shall not participate in highlighting the election campaign through the mass media if these persons are registered candidates or their agents, authorized representatives for financial matters of registered candidates, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters which nominated registered candidates.

7. Compliance with the restrictions imposed by this Article shall not prevent deputies, elected officials from exercising their powers and performing their duties in respect of voters.

8. In the course of an election campaign no charity activities shall be carried on by registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs which nominated registered candidates, electoral associations comprised in such electoral blocs, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs which nominated registered candidates, members and authorized representatives of initiative groups of voters which nominated registered candidates and organizations whose founders, owners or possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the said persons and/or organizations (representatives of such organizations) as well as other natural persons and legal entities acting on the request or on the instructions of the said persons and/or organizations. The said persons and organizations shall not ask other natural persons and legal entities to render material and financial aid or services to voters and organizations. Natural persons and legal entities shall not carry on charity activities on behalf or in support of registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters which nominated registered candidates and their authorized representatives.

Article 41. Guarantees for the Activity of a Registered Candidate

1. Upon a registered candidate's request or report the management of the organization, the commanding officer of the military unit, the head of the internal affairs body where a registered candidate works, serves or undergoes military training shall release the registered candidate from work, service, study on any day and for any time during the period from the date of the candidate's registration by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to the day of official publication of the election results. If a registered candidate is released from work, service, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall pay the registered candidate monetary compensation in the amount of his/her average monthly wage (salary, pay) from the state budget funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election. The said compensation shall be paid from the funds allocated from the federal budget for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and shall not exceed by more than 20 times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the day on which a decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published. The monetary compensation shall be paid to the registered candidate for the period during which he/she is released from the main work on the basis of an order of the management of the candidate's main place of work or service granting an unpaid leave to the candidate.

2. A registered candidates shall be entitled to payment of compensation for travel expenses incurred in the use of any means of public transport within the territory of the Russian Federation, with the exception of taxi and chartered trips. A registered candidate shall be compensated for the cost of tickets for suburban transport (not more than 30 trips) and inter-city transport (not more than 89 trips from the place of residence indicated by him/her in the statement expressing the consent to nomination to the center of the Subject of the Russian Federation and back) – upon production of the tickets, and for the cost of passes – upon production of passes for the corresponding period.

3. Travel expenses of a registered candidate shall be compensated for by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation from the funds allocated from the federal budget for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

4. No monetary compensation and no compensation for travel expenses shall be paid after a registered candidate submits the final financial report to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation within the period established by this Federal Law.

5. A registered candidate shall not be dismissed from his/her job on the initiative of the administration (employer); expelled from an educational establishment; transferred to another job, including jobs in other localities, or sent on business trips without his/her consent; called up for military or alternative (civil) service or military training. The time of participation of a registered candidate in the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be included in his/her overall service record in accordance with his/her specialty before registration.

6. A registered candidate shall not be subjected to criminal prosecution, arrested and no administrative punishments shall be imposed on the registered candidate by a court without the consent of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. Having given such a consent, the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation shall serve a notice to this effect on the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

7. A registered candidate, his/her agent shall be entitled to receive from the appropriate election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation a list of electoral precincts, indicating their boundaries, the addresses and telephone numbers of territorial and precinct election commissions, addresses of voting premises.

8. A registered candidate shall lose the rights and shall be released from the obligations connected with the status of a registered candidate from the day of official publication of the general election results. If the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation appoints the repeat voting, registered candidates whose candidatures are not involved in the repeat voting shall lose their status from the day on which the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation appointed the date of the repeat voting. In the case provided by Clause 3 Article 73 of this Federal Law a registered candidate who takes the place of the registered candidate who withdrew from the election shall regain the rights and obligations connected with the status of a registered candidate.

Article 42. Agents of a Registered Candidate

1. A registered candidate may have up to 600 agents. These persons shall be registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian within three days after receipt of a written statement from a registered candidate about appointment of agents and a written statement of the person expressing his/her consent to be an agent of the candidate. These statements shall indicate the first, middle and last name of the agent, his/her date of birth, main place of work or service (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), position, address of the place of residence (the name of the Subject of the Russian Federation, raion, city or town, other populated center, street, number of the house and the apartment), series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper, date of its issuance. The list of agents shall be submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in a printed and a machine-readable form according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. Agents of a registered candidate shall receive a certificate from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The administration (employer) shall grant an unpaid leave of absence to agents on their request for the period indicated in Clause 1 Article 41 of this Federal Law.

3. Agents of a registered candidate shall carry on campaigning and other activities which are conducive to the election of the registered candidate. An agent shall also be granted the powers of an observer.

4. Registered candidates who appointed agents may, at any time, recall them and appoint other agents in their place by serving an notice to this effect on the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, which shall annul the certificates issued to the recalled agents. Agents may, at any time, resign their powers on their own initiative by returning their certificates to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and serving a notice to this effect on a registered candidate.

5. The powers of agents of a registered candidate shall commence from the day on which agents are registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and end upon the loss of the status by the registered candidate who appointed the agents, save as provided otherwise by Clause 4 of this Article, but not later than the day of official publication of the general election results or, if complaints about violations of this Federal Law are being investigated by a court, not later than the date of the final decision of the court.

Article 43. Withdrawal of a Candidate, Registered Candidate

1. A candidate may, at any time, withdraw his/her statement expressing the consent to run by serving a written notice to this effect on the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Such a notice shall be irrevocable.

2. A registered candidate may, at any time but not later than five days prior to voting day, withdraw his candidature by submitting a written application to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Such an application shall be irrevocable. Based on the received application the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, within 24 hours, annul registration of the registered candidate who submitted such an application.

3. Subject to a decision of the body which nominated a candidate, registered candidate an electoral association, electoral bloc may, at any time but not later than five days prior to voting day, recall the candidate, registered candidate by submitting a written application to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The said application shall be irrevocable. If a registered candidate has been recalled, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall annul registration of the candidate and shall collect from the electoral association, electoral bloc the federal budget funds received by the registered candidate.

4. Having taken a decision to annul registration of a candidate the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall promptly serve an appropriate notice on the person in respect of whom the decision was taken and shall issue a copy of the decision to this person.

5. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall declare a candidate, registered candidate withdrawn from the election if he/she dies, pronounced dead or if a candidate, registered candidate is no longer eligible for election to the office of President of the Russian Federation.

6. If there remain less than two registered candidates by voting day, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall postpone the election of the President of the Russian Federation by not more than 90 days for additional nomination of candidates and performance of subsequent electoral actions.

7. If the circumstances indicated in Clause 6 of this Article result from the fact that a registered candidate has withdrawn his/her candidature or an electoral association, electoral bloc has recalled a registered candidate without compelling reasons or registration of a candidate has been annulled in accordance with Clause 3 or 4 Article 80 of this Federal Law, all expenses incurred by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in the preparation and conduct of the election shall be collected from this registered candidate, electoral association, electoral bloc, respectively. If the obligation to compensate for these expenses is imposed on an electoral bloc, the amounts required for compensation shall be equally divided between the electoral associations comprised in the given bloc as of the date on which the relevant decision was taken by the electoral bloc, unless another method of division is envisaged in the agreement on the establishment of this electoral bloc submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

8. In this Federal Law the reasons compelling a registered candidate to withdraw his/her candidature or an electoral association, electoral bloc to recall a registered candidate mean certified incapacitation, serious illness, persistent health problems of a registered candidate or his close relatives.

Chapter VII. ELECTION CAMPAIGNING

Article 44. Election Campaigning and Its Forms

1. Election campaigning may be conducted:

(a) on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in periodicals;

(b) by organizing public events (gatherings and meetings with citizens, rallies, marches, demonstrations, public debates and discussions);

(d) in other forms which are not prohibited by law.

2. Election campaigning on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in periodicals shall be conducted in the form of public debates, discussions, "roundtables", press conferences, interviews, speeches, political advertising, demonstration of TV features and video films about a registered candidate and in other forms which are not prohibited by law. Registered candidates shall be entitled to select the form and nature of their election campaigning at their own discretion. Payment for election campaigning on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in periodicals shall be made from the electoral funds of registered candidates, save the cases when air time and space in periodicals are provided to registered candidates free of charge in a procedure established by Articles 48 – 50 of this Federal Law.

3. Election campaigning shall not be conducted and any kind of election propaganda materials shall not be produced and distributed by:

(a) federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, other state bodies, bodies of local self-government;

(b) persons holding government and municipal offices, government and municipal employees, servicemen - when they are discharging their official duties or if they are to use their official position or status for the purpose;

(d) charity organizations, religious associations and the organizations founded by them;

(e) election commissions, voting members of election commissions.

Article 45. Election Campaigning Period

1. Election campaigning shall start from the day of a candidate's registration, save as established otherwise by this Federal Law, and shall end at 00.00 hours, local time, one day prior to voting day.

2. All kinds of election campaigning shall be prohibited from the day on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was published to the day of a candidate's registration and also on voting day and a day before.

3. Printed election propaganda materials (leaflets, posters, etc.) which were earlier displayed in places other than the buildings and premises of election commissions in compliance with the rules established by the federal law shall remain in place on voting day.

4. In the event of the repeat voting election campaigning shall start from the day on which the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation appoints the day of the repeat voting and shall end at 00.00 hours, local time, a day before the day of the repeat voting.

Article 46. Public Opinion Polls

1. When publishing (making public) the results of public opinion polls related to the election of the President of the Russian Federation the mass media shall indicate the organization which conducted the poll, the time when it was conducted, the number of respondents (sample), the method for the collection of information, the precise formulation of the question, the statistical assessment of a possible error.

2. After the last day of registration of candidates the organizations which conduct opinion polls in connection with the election of the President of the Russian Federation with a view of publishing their results in the mass media and the organizations which publish the results of such opinion polls and forecasts concerning the election results shall furnish copies of these publications to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for the formation of a data bank from which information shall be available for examination or copying to persons indicated in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law and to foreign (international) observers on their request.

3. During three days prior to voting day and on voting day the mass media shall not publish any information about the results of public opinion polls, any forecasts concerning the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, any other studies related to the election.

Article 47. TV and Radio Broadcasting Organizations and Periodicals Which Are Used by Registered Candidates for Election Campaigning

1. Registered candidates may use the services of the following TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals for election campaigning in the election of the President of the Russian Federation:

(a) all-Russian state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations, i.e. TV and radio broadcasting organizations with a stable reception zone extending to a half or more than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, which are founded (co-founded) by state bodies, organizations, institutions and/or which, in the year preceding the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election, were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget from the funds allocated by federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(b) regional state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations, i.e. TV and radio broadcasting organizations with a stable reception zone extending to less than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, which are founded (co-founded) by state bodies, organizations, institutions and/or which, in the year preceding the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election, were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget from the funds allocated by federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as the corresponding divisions of the TV and radio broadcasting organizations indicated in Sub-clause "a" of this Clause;

(c) editorial offices of all-Russian state-run periodicals, i.e. editorial offices of periodicals distributed in the territory of a half or more than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, which are founded (co-founded) by state bodies, organizations, institutions and/or which, in the year preceding the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election, were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget from the funds allocated by federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, save the editorial offices of periodicals indicated in Sub-clause 2 of this Clause;

(d) editorial offices of regional state-run periodicals, i.e. editorial offices of periodicals distributed in the territory of less than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, if these editorial offices or these periodicals are founded (co-founded) by state bodies, organizations, institutions and/or if, in the year preceding the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election, these editorial offices of periodicals were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget from the funds allocated by federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, save the editorial offices of periodicals indicated in Sub-clause 2 of this Clause;

(e) municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of municipal periodicals, i.e. TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals, if these organizations, periodicals or their editorial offices are founded (co-founded) by bodies of local self-government and/or if, in the year preceding the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election, these organizations, editorial offices were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget from the funds allocated by bodies of local self-government, save the editorial offices of periodicals indicated in Sub-clause 2 of this Clause;

(f) all-Russian non-state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations, i.e. the TV and radio broadcasting organizations which do not come within Sub-clauses "a" - "e" of the this Clause, whose zone of reliable reception extends to a half or more than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(g) regional non-state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations, i.e. the TV and radio broadcasting organizations which do not come within Sub-clauses "a" - "e" of the this Clause, whose zone of reliable reception extends to less than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(h) editorial offices of all-Russian non-state-run periodicals, i.e. the editorial offices which do not come within Sub-clauses "a" - "e" of this Clause, with their periodicals distributed in the territory of a half or more than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(i) editorial offices of regional non-state-run periodicals, i.e. the editorial offices which do not come within Sub-clauses "a" - "e" of this Clause, with their periodicals distributed in the territory of less than a half of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(j) specialized TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of specialized periodicals (cultural-educational, children's, technical, scientific, etc.).

2. The editorial offices of periodicals founded by bodies of legislative (representative) and judicial power and by bodies of local self-government exclusively for the publication of their official documents and announcements, statutory and other acts shall not publish any election propaganda materials and editorials highlighting the activity of candidates, registered candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters which nominated candidates, registered candidates.

3. The list of all-Russian state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations and all-Russian state-run periodicals shall be published by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the basis of the information submitted by the appropriate federal bodies of executive power which formulate and implement the state policy in the field of the mass media, not later than the tenth day after the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation. The said list shall make a special mention of the all-Russian state-run periodicals which come out less frequently than once a week.

4. The list of regional state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations and regional state-run periodicals shall be published by the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation on the basis of the information submitted by the appropriate territorial agencies of the federal bodies of executive power which formulate and implement the state policy in the field of the mass media and the bodies of executive power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, not later than the tenth day after the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation. The said list shall make a special mention of the regional state-run periodicals which come out less frequently than once a week.

Article 48. General Conditions for Election Campaigning on the Channels of TV and Radio Broadcasting Organizations and in Periodicals

1. Air time may on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and space in periodicals may be provided to registered candidates free (free air time, free space) in a procedure set forth in this Article, Articles 49 and 50 of this Federal Law or for a charge.

2. The state and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of state and municipal periodicals shall guarantee registered candidates equal terms and conditions for election campaigning, presentation of their election programs to voters.

3. Non-state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of non-state-run periodicals may provide air time, space to registered candidates for a charge. In the event of provision of air time and space the rates and payment terms shall be the same for all registered candidates for whom air time, space was provided.

4. A TV and radio broadcasting organization, editorial office of a periodical shall publish information about the rates (in Russian Federation currency) and terms of payment for air time, space not later than 30 from the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation. This information along with a notice of readiness to provide air time, space to registered candidates shall be presented: to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation - by all-Russian TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of all-Russian periodicals; to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation - by the regional and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of regional and municipal periodicals.

5. Election campaigning on the channels of state and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be conducted on working days in the period which commences 30 days prior to voting day and ends one day prior to voting day, on working days. Election campaigning in periodicals shall be conducted in the period which commences 40 days prior to voting day and ends one day prior to voting day.

6. In the event of the repeat voting election campaigning on the channels of state and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in state and municipal periodicals shall be conducted on working days in the period which commences two days after the repeat voting was declared and ends one day prior to voting day.

7. Non-state and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations, editorial offices of periodicals and editorial offices of state-run periodicals which come out less frequently than once a week may refuse to take part in any propaganda activity. Specialized TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of specialized periodicals may refuse to take part in highlighting the election campaign.. Such refusal shall be non-presentation to the appropriate election commission of the notice indicated in Sub-clause 4 of this Clause.

8. TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals which provided air time and space to registered candidates free or for a charge shall keep separate records of the amount and cost of this air time and space according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Five days prior to voting day and within five days after voting day, the data of these records shall be presented by all-Russian TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of all-Russian periodicals to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, by regional and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of regional and municipal periodicals to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

9. TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals - on the request of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, regional and municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of regional and municipal periodicals - also on the request of the election commissions of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall present to these commissions the documents confirming the consent of a registered candidate to the provision of paid services and to payment therefor.

Article 49. Conditions for Election Campaigning on TV and Radio

1. Registered candidates shall be entitled to provision of free air time on the channels of state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations on equal terms and conditions (length of air time, timing and other terms and conditions).

2. Free air time on the channels of state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be made available on working days in the period indicated in Clause 5 Article 48 of this Federal Law or, if the number of registered candidates is less then ten, in the period which commences 20 days prior to voting day and ends one day prior to voting day.

3. In the event of the repeat voting free air time shall be provided on the channels of state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations to two registered candidates for whom the repeat voting is conducted, in the period indicated in Clause 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law.

4. Free air time shall be provided in the broadcast periods viewed or listened to by the greatest number of persons.

5. The total amount of free air time to be made available for election campaigning by each all-Russian state-run TV and radio broadcasting organization shall be not less than one hour on working days in the period established in Clauses 5 or 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law. The total amount of free air time to be made available for election campaigning by each regional state-run TV and radio broadcasting organization shall be not less than 30 minutes on working days in the same period and, if the total broadcasting time of a TV and broadcasting organization is less than two hours a day, not less than one-fourth of the total broadcasting time.

6. One half, or, in the period indicated in Clause 6 of Article 48 of this Federal Law, two-thirds of the total amount of free air time made available by the TV and radio broadcasting organizations indicated in Clause 5 of this Article shall be given to registered candidates for joint debates, "roundtables" and other joint campaigning events of a similar kind. All registered candidates shall be allowed to use this part of free air time on equal conditions.

7. A registered candidate may refuse to take part in a joint propaganda event indicated in Clause 6 of this Article not later than four days prior to the day on which this event is to be aired. If after lot drawing indicated in Clause 8 of this Article the refusal of a registered candidate (registered candidates) to Participate in a joint propaganda event leave only one registered candidate willing to take part in this propaganda event, free air time shall be provided to this registered candidate on his/her request within the share obtained by the division of the ait time set aside for the joint event by the number of registered candidates who should have participated in this propaganda event. The refusal of a registered candidate to participate in joint campaigning events shall not entitle the candidate to receive a greater amount of free air time to which the candidate is entitled in accordance with Clause 8 of this Article.

8. In accordance with the results of lot-drawing to be conducted within a week after the end of registration of candidates or, in the event of the repeat voting, not later than one day after the day on which the repeat voting was declared the remaining part of free air time available from TV and radio broadcasting organizations indicated in Clause 5 of this Article shall be divided in equal parts between registered candidates who applied for participation in this lot-drawing.

9. Not less than three-fourths of free air time made available in accordance with Clause 8 of this Article shall be used by a registered candidate for his/her speeches, press conferences, interviews.

10. Lot-drawing to determine concrete dates and time for airing election propaganda materials of registered candidates on the channels of all-Russian state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be organized by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation together with the representatives of TV and radio broadcasting organizations. Lot-drawing to determine concrete dates and time for airing election propaganda materials of registered candidates on the channels of regional state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be organized by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation together with the representatives of TV and radio broadcasting organizations. The lot-drawing procedure may be witnessed by persons listed in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law. The results of lot-drawing shall be recorded in a protocol. The air time distribution schedule determined on the basis of lot-drawing results shall be published in, respectively, all-Russian and regional state-run periodicals.

11. The expenses of TV and radio broadcasting organizations incidental to provision of free air time to registered candidates shall be covered from current budgets of these TV and radio broadcasting organizations.

12. State-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall reserve air time to be used by registered candidates for election campaigning on a paid basis. The rates and the terms of payment shall be the same for all registered candidates. The total amount of paid air time to be reserved by each state-run TV and radio broadcasting organization shall not be less than the total amount of free air time made to be made available in accordance with Clause 5 of this Article but shall not exceed this amount by more than two times.

13. Each registered candidate shall be entitled, for a charge, to use the reserved air time within its share given by the division of the total amount of reserved air time by the total number of registered candidates.

14. TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall provide air time indicated in Clause 12 of this Article on working days in the period which commences 30 days prior to voting day and ends one day prior to voting day, or, in the event of the repeat voting, on working days in the period established by Clause 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law. The date and time when election propaganda materials of registered candidates are to be aired shall be determined by means of lot-drawing to be arranged by a state-run TV and radio broadcasting organization with the participation of interested persons on the basis of written applications for participation in lot-drawing from registered candidates. Lot-drawing shall be conducted in the period established by Clause 8 of this Article. The lot-drawing procedure may be witnessed by members of, respectively, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation as well as by the persons indicated in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law. Air time shall be provided on the basis of a contract to be concluded after lot-drawing.

15. Municipal TV and radio broadcasting organizations which complied with the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal Law shall provide air time to registered candidates for election campaigning for a charge. The rates and terms of payment shall be the same for all registered candidates. A municipal TV and radio broadcasting organization shall determine at its own discretion the total amount of air time to be made available to registered candidates. The date and time when election propaganda materials of each registered candidate are to be aired shall be determined by means of lot-drawing to be arranged by the TV and radio broadcasting organization with the participation of interested persons on the basis of written applications for participation in lot-drawing from registered candidates. Lot-drawing shall be conducted within the period established by Clause 8 of this Article. Air time shall be provided on the basis of a contract to be concluded after lot-drawing.

16. If, after lot-drawing, a registered candidate refuses to use air time, the candidate shall inform the appropriate TV and radio broadcasting organization to this effect not later than two days before the airing time and the TV and radio broadcasting organization may use the released air time at its discretion for purposes other than election campaigning.

17. Non-state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations which complied with the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal Law shall provide air time to registered candidates on the equal terms and conditions. Non-state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations which fail to meet this requirement and the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal Law shall not be allowed to provide air time to registered candidates for election campaigning purposes.

18. Paid air time on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be provided on the basis of a contract to be concluded between the TV and radio broadcasting organizations and the registered candidate.

19. The contracts for the provision of paid air time shall indicate the following: the type (form) of election campaigning; the airing date and time; the length of air time to be provided; the rates and terms of payment; the form and conditions of participation of a journalist (moderator) in the TV or radio program. After the terms of the contract have been carried out a work performance protocol shall be drawn up along with a certificate of the used air time which shall confirm the performance of contractual obligations and indicate the broadcasting channel, the name of the program and its airing time.

20. A payment order to a branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation instructing the bank to remit the full amount of the payment for the air time shall be presented by a registered candidate not later than two days prior to the day on which air time is to be provided or, in the event of the repeat voting, before the provision of air time. If this requirement is not met, provision of air time on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall not be allowed. The branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall remit the money not later than the next banking day upon receipt of the payment order. The time for processing non-cash remittances shall not exceed two banking days within a Subject of the Russian Federation or five banking days within the Russian Federation.

21. Payment for air time shall be made only from the electoral fund of a registered candidate.

22. If, while using paid air time, a registered candidate violated the terms and conditions established by this Federal Law, the TV and radio broadcasting organization may apply to a court for cancellation of the contract for the provision of air time. If the contract is cancelled, the TV and radio broadcasting organization shall not use the released air time for election campaigning purposes.

23. Transmission of election propaganda materials of a registered candidate shall not be interrupted, in particular, by commercials advertising goods and services.

24. Transmission of election propaganda materials of registered candidates on the channels of all-Russian state-run TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall not be interrupted for transmission of other TV and radio programs, other election propaganda materials.

25. In TV and radio news programs reports concerning election campaigning events organized by candidates, registered candidates and their agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs and initiative groups of voters shall be always presented in the form of separate items, as a rule in the beginning of such programs, and without any comments. Such news items shall not be paid for by candidates, registered candidates and their agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters. They shall not give preference to any candidate, registered candidate, particularly, as regards the time devoted to highlighting their election campaigning activities.

26. TV and radio programs containing election propaganda, other election propaganda materials distributed by TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall be aired with simultaneous video and audio recording of the program. These recordings shall be kept by the given TV and radio broadcasting organization for 12 months from the day on which the corresponding programs were aired. TV and radio broadcasting organizations shall keep records concerning provision of free and paid air time indicated in Clause 8 Article 48 of this Federal Law for five years after voting day.

Article 50. Conditions for Election Campaigning Through Periodicals

1. Registered candidates shall be entitled to provision of free space in all-Russian state-run periodicals which come out at least once a week, the said printing space to be provided to them on equal terms and conditions (size of the space to be provided, place on the page, type, and other terms and conditions).

2. Editorial offices of all-Russian state-run periodicals shall provide free space within the period indicated in Clause 5 Article 48 of this Federal Law.

3. In the event of the repeat voting editorial offices of all-Russian state-run periodicals shall provide free space to two registered candidates for whom the repeat voting is conducted in the period indicated in Clause 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law.

4. The total weekly minimum amount of free space which each editorial office of an all-Russian state-run periodical is to provide to registered candidates shall account for not less than 5 percent of the total weekly volume of the given periodical in the period established by Clause 5 or 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law. The total amount of space which such periodicals are to provide free of charge for election campaigning purposes within the said period shall be declared by editorial offices of the periodicals not later than 20 days after official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election.

5. The total amount of free space declared by the editorial office of a state-run periodical shall be distributed by lot in equal portions between registered candidates who applied for participation in lot-drawing to be arranged within a week after the end of registration of candidates.

6. Lot-drawing to determine the dates for free publication of election propaganda materials of registered candidates shall be organized by the editorial office of an all-Russian state-run periodical with the participation of interested persons. The lot-drawing procedure may be witnessed by members of, respectively, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation as well as by the persons listed in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law. The results of lot-drawing shall be recorded in a protocol.

7. The expenses of editorial offices of all-Russian state-run periodicals incidental to the provision of free space to registered candidates for election campaigning purposes shall be covered from current budget financing of these editorial offices.

8. Editorial offices of the all-Russian state-run periodicals and regional state-run periodicals which come out at least once a shall reserve space for publication of election propaganda materials of registered candidates on a paid basis. The rates and terms of payment shall be the same for all registered candidates. The total amount of paid space to be reserved by editorial offices of an all-Russian periodical shall not be less than the total amount of free space to be made available in accordance with Clause 4 of this Article but shall not exceed this amount by more than two times. The total weekly minimum space to be reserved by each regional state-run periodical for provision to registered candidates shall account for not less than 5 percent of the total weekly space of the given periodical in the period established, respectively, by Clause 5 or Clause 6 of Article 48 of this Federal Law.

9. Each registered candidate shall be entitled, for a charge, to use the reserved space within its share given by the division of the total amount of reserved space by the total number of registered candidates.

10. The space indicated in Clause 9 of this Article shall be made available by the editorial office of a state-run periodical coming out at least once a week within the period indicated in Clause 5 or 6 Article 48 of this Federal Law. The date for the publication of election propaganda materials shall be determined by means of lot-drawing to be organized by the editorial office of the periodical with the participation of interested persons on the basis of written applications for participation in lot-drawing submitted by registered candidates. Law-drawing shall be conducted within the period established by Clause 5 of this Article. The lot-drawing procedure may be witnessed by members of, respectively, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation as well as by persons listed in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law. The results of lot-drawing shall be recorded in a protocol. Space shall be provided on the basis of a contract concluded after lot-drawing.

11. Editorial offices of municipal periodicals as well as editorial offices of state-run periodicals coming out less frequently than once a week, which complied with the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal Law, shall provide space to registered candidates for a charge. The rates and terms of payment shall be the same for all registered candidates. The total amount of space to be provided to registered candidates in the said periodicals shall be determined by their editorial offices at their own discretion. The date of publication of election propaganda materials of each registered candidate shall be determined by means of lot-drawing to be organized by the editorial offices of the said periodicals with the participation of interested persons on the basis of written applications for participation in lot-drawing to be submitted by registered candidates. Lot-drawing shall be conducted within the period established by Clause 5 of this Article. Space shall be provided on the basis of a contract to be concluded after lot-drawing.

12. If a registered candidate refuses to use space in a periodical after lot-drawing, he/she shall inform the editorial office of the given periodical to this effect not later than five days before the date of publication and the editorial office may use the released space at its discretion for purposes other than election campaigning.

13. Editorial offices of non-state-run periodicals which complied with the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal Law shall provide space to registered candidates on the equal payment terms and they may refuse to provide space to registered candidates.. Editorial offices of non-state-run periodicals which failed to meet these requirements and to comply with the provisions of Clause 4 Article 48 of this Federal :Law shall not be allowed to provide space to registered candidates for election campaigning purposes.

14. Paid space shall be provided on the basis of a contract to be concluded between the editorial office of a periodical and a registered candidate.

15. A payment order to a branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation instructing the bank to remit the full amount of the payment for the space in a periodical shall be presented by a registered candidate not later than two days prior to the day of publication or, in the event of the repeat voting, not later than one day prior to the day of publication. If this requirement is not met, provision of the space shall not be allowed. The branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall remit the money not later than the next banking day upon receipt of the payment order. The time for processing non-cash remittances shall not exceed two banking days within a Subject of the Russian Federation or five banking days within the Russian Federation.

16. Payment for space in periodicals shall be made only from the electoral fund of a registered candidate.

17. Election propaganda materials published in accordance with this Article shall not be accompanied by editorial comments in any form, by headings and illustrations which have not been agreed with the registered candidate.

18. The requirement that space in periodicals be made available on the equal terms of payment shall not apply to editorial offices of periodicals, if the editorial office and/or the periodical is founded by a registered candidate (registered candidates), an electoral association, electoral bloc which nominated a registered candidate and the periodical is a non-state one.

19. All materials published by periodicals with their publication paid for from the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate shall indicate the candidate, registered candidate from whose electoral fund the given publication has been paid for. If the election propaganda materials have been published free of charge in accordance with Clause 1 of this Article, the publication shall indicate that the materials are published free of charge and shall name the registered candidate who has been given the possibility to publish these materials.

20. Editorial offices of periodicals shall keep records of the provision of free and paid space as indicated in Clause 8 Article 48 of this Federal Law for five years after voting day.

Article 51. Conditions for Election Campaigning by Means of Public Events

1. State bodies and bodies of local self-government shall render assistance to registered candidates, their agents in the organization and holding of election gatherings, meetings of registered candidates and their agents with voters, public debates and discussions, rallies, demonstrations and marches.

2. Applications for the provision of premises to hold meetings of registered candidates, their agents with voters shall be considered by state bodies and bodies of local self-government within three days from the day of the submission thereof. Notifications of organizers of rallies, demonstrations and marches shall be considered by bodies of local self-government in accordance with Russian Federation laws.

3. On the basis of requests from election commissions, premises which may be used for election-related public events and are state- or municipality-owned shall be made available by their owners, possessors to registered candidates, their agents, free of charge, for the time to be established by the election commission, to hold meetings with voters. If such premises or premises owned by an organization which has a state and/or municipal share in its charter (authorized) capital exceeding 30 percent thereof as of the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election were made available for election-related public events to one of registered candidates or his/her agent, the owner, possessor of the premises shall not refuse to provide the premises to another registered candidate or his/her agent on the same terms and conditions. Election commissions shall ensure equal conditions for registered candidates when election-related public events are to be organized.

4. Registered candidates shall be entitled to rent, on a contractual basis, buildings and premises belonging to citizens and organizations, regardless of the form of ownership of the said buildings and premises, to hold gatherings, meetings with voters, rallies, public debates and other election-related public events.

5. No election campaigning shall be allowed in the territory of military units, in military organizations and institutions. Meetings of registered candidates, their agents with voters - servicemen shall be organized outside the territory of the military unit by the commanding officer of the military unit together with the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, with all registered candidates or their agents to be notified of the time and place of the meeting not later than three days prior to the meeting.

6. Security at election-related public events shall be ensured by the state bodies in accordance with Russian Federation laws.

Article 52. Conditions for Production and Distribution of Printed, Audio-Visual and Other Election Propaganda Materials

1. Registered candidates shall be free to issue printed, audio-visual and other election propaganda materials in a procedure established by Russian Federation laws.

2. All printed, audio-visual and other election propaganda materials, save the materials distributed pursuant to Articles 49 and 50 of this Federal Law, shall indicate the names and legal addresses of the organizations (the first, middle and last name and the place of residence of the person) that produced these materials, the name of the organization (the first, middle and last name of the person) that placed an order for the production of the given materials and information about the number of copies made and the date of issue.

3. Prior to distribution of printed, audio-visual and other election propaganda materials a registered candidate shall submit these materials or their copies to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. Along with the aforementioned materials the appropriate election commission shall be furnished with the information concerning the location (place of residence) of organizations (persons) that have produced and ordered these materials. Printed election propaganda materials shall not be produced and distributed if they have not been paid for from the electoral fund of a registered candidate.

4. Election propaganda materials shall not contain any advertising other than political advertising.

5. Distribution of election propaganda materials in violation of the requirements set forth in Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of this Article shall not be allowed.

6. Not later than 30 days prior to voting day, on the recommendation of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation or a territorial election commission bodies of local self-government shall designate and equip special places for displaying printed election propaganda materials within the territory of each electoral precinct. Such places shall be located where they can be conveniently visited by voters and shall be arranged so that voters could read the displayed information. Registered candidates shall be allocated equal areas for displaying their printed election propaganda materials. Registered candidates, their agents may receive a list of places designated for the display of printed election propaganda materials from the appropriate territorial election commission.

7. Unless provided otherwise by Clause 6 of this Article printed election propaganda materials may be displayed (posted, placed) indoors, on buildings, structures or other objects only with the consent of the owner, possessor of the said objects. Display of election propaganda materials on an object which is a state or municipal property or which is owned by an organization which has a state and/or municipal share in its charter (authorized) capital exceeding 30 percent thereof as of the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be allowed on equal terms for all registered candidates. No fee shall be charged for the display of election propaganda materials on objects which are a state or municipal property.

8. Advertising agencies which are founded (co-founded) by state or municipal bodies, organizations, institutions or which were financed by not less than 15 percent of their budget in the year preceding the year of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation from the funds allocated by federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, bodies of local self-government shall provide equal terms and conditions for registered candidates with regard to the placement of their election propaganda materials.

9. Printed election propaganda materials shall not be put up (posted, arranged) on monuments, obelisks, buildings, structures and premises of historic, cultural or architectural value, inside the premises of election commissions and polling stations or at the entrance thereto.

10. The election commission which was informed about distribution of false printed, audio-visual and other election propaganda materials or about distribution of election propaganda materials in violation of the provisions of Clauses 2 - 4, 7 and 9 of this Article shall take appropriate measures to stop these activities and may request appropriate law enforcement and other bodies to put an end to unlawful election campaigning activities and seize unlawful election propaganda materials.

Article 53. Inadmissibility of Misuse of the Right to Election Campaigning

1. Misuse of the freedom of mass information in election campaigning shall not be allowed. Election programs of registered candidates, election propaganda materials and speeches at gatherings and rallies, articles in the mass media shall not contain calls for the violent seizure of power, violent change of the constitutional system and breaking of the integrity of the Russian Federation, warmongering propaganda. Propaganda exciting social, racial, national, religious hatred or enmity, misuse of the freedom of mass information in other forms banned by the laws of the Russian Federation shall be prohibited. Propaganda in violation of Russian Federation laws on intellectual property shall be prohibited.

2. Candidates, registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters, their authorized representatives and other persons and organizations directly or indirectly involved in election campaigning shall not bribe voters: they shall not give voters money, gifts and other things otherwise than for the performance of organizational work (attendance at polling stations, collection of voter signatures, propaganda activities), remunerate voters who carried out the said organizational work depending on the results of the voting or promise such remuneration; sell goods at reduced prices; distribute free any goods other than printed materials (including illustrated materials) and badges specially produced for the election campaign and paid for from the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate; render services free of charge or at reduced rates. In the course of election campaigning registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters and their authorized representatives, other persons and organizations shall not influence voters by promising them money, securities, other material benefits (in particular, depending on the voting results) and by rendering services otherwise than on the basis of decisions of bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government taken in accordance with federal laws.

3. During the election campaign the business and other activities of candidates, registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs and authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative groups of voters and the organizations whose founders, owners, possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the said persons and organizations may be advertised only in the period when election campaigning is allows and only for the account of the appropriate electoral fund of the candidate, registered candidate in compliance with the requirements established by Clause 17 Article 49, Clauses 13 and 19 Article 50 of this Federal Law. Such advertising shall not be allowed on voting day and the day preceding voting day.

4. When highlighting the election campaign TV and radio programs on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and editorial offices of periodicals shall not make public (publish) information that may damage the honor, dignity or business reputation of a registered candidate (registered candidates), if these TV and radio programs and editorial offices of periodicals cannot, free of charge, offer the registered candidate (registered candidates) a possibility to make public (publish) a denial or some other explanation in defense of his/her (their) honor, dignity or business reputation before the end of the election campaigning period. In such cases, air time shall be provided at the same time of the day and in the same program as for the said information and shall not be less than the time taken by an announcer to read one page of a typewritten text. When space is to be provided in a periodical, the denial or some other explanation shall be printed in the same type and in the same place on the page. It shall not be allowed to require that the denial or some other explanation should occupy less than one page of a typewritten text. The failure to offer a possibility for a registered candidate (registered candidates) to make public (publish), before the end of the election campaigning period, a denial or other explanations in defense of his/her (their) honor, dignity or business reputation in TV and radio programs on the channels of TV and radio broadcasting organizations and in periodicals which made public (published) the information that may damage the honor, dignity or business reputation of a registered candidate (registered candidates) may serve as a reason for bringing to responsibility these TV and radio broadcasting organizations, editorial offices of periodicals and their officials as provided by Russian Federation laws. The rules laid down by this clause shall not apply to editorial offices of periodicals indicated in Clause 18 Article 50 of this Federal Law.

5. If a registered candidate breaches Clause 1 of this Article, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, and other bodies, organizations and citizens specified in Clause 1 Article 79 of this Federal Law may, apply to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for withdrawal of the candidate's registration. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation shall consider this application within three days or, three days prior to election day, immediately. If a registered candidate violates other election campaigning rules laid down by this Federal Law, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, by its decision, issue a warning to this registered candidate or shall request appropriate law-enforcement and other bodies to put an end to the unlawful propaganda activities and, in this case, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may also annul registration of the candidate. This decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be passed on to the mass media.

6. If a TV and radio broadcasting organization, an editorial office of a periodical violates the election campaigning rules laid down by this Federal Law, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation may apply to law enforcement bodies, courts, executive bodies of state power which implement the state policy in the field of mass media and request them to put an end to the unlawful propaganda activities and bring the TV and radio broadcasting organization, editorial office of a periodical, their officials to responsibility as provided by Russian Federation laws.

7. Law enforcement and other bodies shall take measures to put an end to unlawful propaganda activities, prevent production of and seize counterfeit and unlawful printed, audio-visual and other propaganda materials, identify the producers of such materials and the sources of payment therefor and promptly inform, respectively, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation about the facts established and measures taken.

Chapter VIII. FUNDING OF THE ELECTION

Article 54. Funding of the Preparation and Conduct of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. Expenditures for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and for funding the operation of election commissions during the term of their powers shall be financed from the federal budget. These expenditures shall be included in the federal budget in accordance with the budget classification of the Russian Federation.

2. The funds allocated from the federal budget for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be placed at the disposal of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation within ten days of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election was officially published.

3. In the event of early or repeat elections of the President of the Russian Federation the amount of funds allocated from the federal budget for the preparation and conduct of the election shall not be less than the sum contained in the report of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the expenditure of funds for the preparation and conduct of the previous election of the President of the Russian Federation (with due account for the change in the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the day on which the decision to call (hold) the previous election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published).

4. If insufficient funds have been allocated from the federal budget to finance the election of the President of the Russian Federation, including an early and repeat election, and if the funds allocated from the federal budget have not been transferred in due time or in full, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be entitled to obtain credits from banks on a competitive basis. In this case, the total allowable amount of funds for the preparation and conduct of the election shall not exceed the sum contained in the report of the Central Election Commission on the expenditure of funds for the preparation and conduct of the previous election of the President of the Russian Federation (with due account for the change in the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the day on which the decision to call (hold) the previous election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published). Within ten days upon receipt of an appropriate request from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the Government of the Russian Federation shall issue a state guarantee to back the obligation to repay the credits and pay interest thereon. The received credits and interest thereon shall be repaid from the federal budget. Allocations for meeting this debt obligation shall be approved as a special expenditure item by the federal budget law for the coming fiscal year. The repeat voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation may be funded in a similar manner, if the funds initially allocated for the election have been used up.

5. Not later than 90 days prior to voting day, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall remit the funds for the conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, which shall distribute the received funds and remit them to territorial election commissions not later than 40 days prior to voting day. In the event of early or repeat elections and if the election has not been not funded in due time or in full, the election commissions shall distribute and remit funds as they come in.

6. The funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be managed by the chairmen of election commissions who shall be responsible for the compliance of the financial documents with the decisions taken by the election commissions on financial matters and shall ensure that the financial reports regarding the expenditure of the said funds are submitted as and when established by this Federal Law.

7. After the end of the election of the President of the Russian Federation the federal budget funds which were not spent by election commissions shall remain in the accounts of the election commissions acting on a permanent basis (save permanent territorial election commissions) to be used for the purposes provided by this Federal Law.

8. The unspent credits shall be returned by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to the bank from which they were obtained, not later than three months from the day on which the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation were officially published.

Article 55. Electoral Funds of Candidates, Registered Candidates

1. A candidate shall be obliged to establish his/her own electoral fund.

2. A candidate shall appoint authorized representatives for financial matters. An authorized representative for financial matters of a candidate, registered candidate shall act on the basis of a notarized power of attorney issued by the candidate, registered candidate. The power of attorney shall indicate the first, middle and last name, date of birth, series, number and date of issuance of the passport or an equivalent identity paper, address of the place of residence, main place of work or service (occupation if there is no main place of work), powers of the authorized representative for financial matters (opening of a special electoral account, management of monetary resources of the electoral fund, recording of monetary resources of the electoral fund, checking of their expenditure and receipt, and other powers, including the authority to sign payment documents) and shall show a sample of the seal for financial documents.

3. An authorized representative for financial matters of a candidate, registered candidate shall be registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the basis of an application from a candidate, registered candidate, a power of attorney indicated in Clause 2 of this Article upon production by the authorized representative for financial matters of a candidate, registered candidate of a passport or an equivalent identity paper. The term of powers of an authorized representative for financial matters of a candidate, registered candidate shall commence from the day on which the authorized representative was registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and expire 60 days after voting day or, if court proceedings which involve the given candidate, registered candidate are being conducted, after a final decision was handed down.

4. A candidate, registered candidate may, at any time, terminate the powers of his/her representative for financial matters by serving a notice to this effect on the representative and submitting a copy of the relevant decision to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and to the authorized branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation.

5. Electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates may be formed only by the use of the following financial resources:

(a) a candidate's, registered candidate's own money in the amount that shall not exceed the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published by more than two thousand times and for a candidate, registered candidate for whom the repeat voting was declared by more than three thousand times;

(b) amounts allocated to a candidate, registered candidate by the electoral association which nominated him/her, electoral associations of the electoral bloc which nominated him/her, the sum total of which shall not exceed by more than 200 thousand times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published;

(c) voluntary donations of individuals and legal entities in the amount that shall not exceed by more than 400 times for each individual and 40 thousand times for each legal entity the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published;

(d) money allocated to a registered candidate by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation not later than 40 days before voting day, the amount of the money being the same as that allocated to other registered candidates, save as provided otherwise in this Federal Law.

6. The maximum total amount of expenditures of a candidate, registered candidate from his/her electoral fund shall not exceed by more than 300 thousand times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published. The maximum total amount of expenditures of a candidate, registered candidate for whom the repeat voting was declared shall not exceed by more than 400 thousand times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published.

7. No donations to electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates shall be allowed from:

(a) foreign states and foreign legal entities;

(b) foreign nationals;

(d) citizens of the Russian Federation under 18 years of age;

(e) Russian legal entities with foreign participation if the share of foreign capital exceeds 30 per cent of their charter (authorized) capital as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published;

(f) international organizations and international public movements;

(g) bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government;

(h) state and municipal institutions and organizations;

(i) legal entities with a state or municipal share in their charter (authorized) capital exceeding 30 per cent thereof as of the date on which the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published;

(j) military units, military institutions and organizations and law enforcement bodies;

(k) charity organizations and religious associations as well as organizations established by them;

(l) anonymous donors (for an individual person - without indication of any of the following data: the first, middle and last name; the place of residence and date of birth; for a legal entity - without indication of any of the following data: the tax payer's identification number; the name; the date of registration; the bank account; the note indicating the absence of a state or municipal share in the charter (authorized) capital or the presence of such a share and its size; the note indicating the absence of foreign participation in the charter (authorized) capital or the presence of such participation and its share);

(m) legal entities registered less than a year before voting day.

8. The electoral funds shall be managed by candidates, registered candidates who have formed the fund. The resources of electoral funds shall be purpose-oriented and may be used only for:

(a) funding of organizational and technical arrangements for the collection of signatures in support of nomination of a candidate, including remuneration of persons engaged for collection of voter signatures;

(b) election campaigning and payment for information and consulting services;

(c) payment for other services rendered by legal entities or citizens of the Russian Federation and other expenses directly related to the conduct of the election campaign.

9. When making payments for collection of voter signatures, election campaigning, various election events a candidate, registered candidate shall not use any sums of money other than those which have been contributed to his/her electoral fund. In this case, a candidate, registered candidate may use only those sums which were remitted by contributors to the special electoral account of his/her electoral fund prior to voting day in a procedure established by this Federal Law.

Article 56. Special Electoral Account

1. A candidate shall be obliged to open a special electoral account of his/her electoral fund after the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation has registered the authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate but not later than five days before documents are submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for registration of the candidate.

2. A special electoral account for the formation of an electoral fund shall be opened with a branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation. A candidate may open only one special electoral account. A branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall, without any delay, open a special electoral account for a candidate upon presentation of documents required by and executed in accordance with this Federal Law. The bank shall not charge any fee for opening and servicing a special electoral account and shall not pay any interest on the funds kept therein. All funds deposited in a special electoral account shall be in the currency of the Russian Federation.

3. A candidate shall open a special electoral account for the formation of an electoral fund on the basis of a document to be issued by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation after it has registered the authorized representatives of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters’ group which nominated the candidate, simultaneously with the registration of the candidate's representative for financial matters.

4. After his/her registration a candidate shall continue to maintain a special electoral account to finance his/her election campaign, including election propaganda activities.

5. A candidate, registered candidate may, in an established procedure, allow his/her authorized representative for financial matters to manage funds in the special electoral account by giving notice to this effect to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The responsibility for the violation of the election campaign funding rules established by this Federal Law for a candidate, registered candidate shall be borne personally by the candidate, registered candidate.

6. All financial operations involving payment of expenses from special electoral accounts of registered candidates shall be discontinued on voting day. Financial operations for the payment of expenses from special electoral accounts of electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates who have not submitted registration documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in a procedure established by this Federal Law or who have been denied registration or have withdrawn the statement expressing the consent to run or have withdrawn their candidatures or have been recalled by an electoral association, electoral bloc or whose registration has been annulled shall be discontinued by branches of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation on the instruction of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

7. In the event of the repeat voting financial operations involving payment of expenses from special electoral accounts of registered candidates on whom the repeat voting is to be held shall be resumed after the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation appoints the day of the repeat voting, and shall be discontinued on the day of the repeat voting.

8. Based on an application of a candidate, registered candidate the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may extend the period for the performance of the following financial operations:

(a) for a candidate - payment for work (services, goods) performed (rendered, acquired) prior to the date on which the candidate's registration was denied, the candidate was recalled by the electoral association, electoral bloc, the candidate withdrew his/her statement expressing the consent to run before the deadline established by this Federal Law for submission of signature sheets and other registration documents;

(b) for a registered candidate who withdrew his/her candidature, who was recalled by the electoral association, electoral bloc, whose registration was annulled - payment for work (services, goods) performed (rendered, acquired) before the date of the withdrawal of the candidature, recalling of the registered candidate, the decision to annul registration;

(c) for other registered candidates - payment for work (services, goods) performed (rendered, acquired) before voting day.

Article 57. Voluntary Donations to the Electoral Fund of a Candidate, Registered Candidate

1. Voluntary donations to the electoral fund of a candidate. registered candidate shall be made by citizens of the Russian Federation from their own funds and shall be paid by them personally to post offices or credit institutions upon production of a passport or an equivalent identity paper, with the payment order showing the donor's first, middle and last name, date of birth and full address of the place of residence.

2. Voluntary donations of legal entities to the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate shall be made by means of non-cash transfers to the corresponding special electoral account, with the legal entity making a special note to indicate the presence and size (in percent) or absence of a foreign, state or municipal share in its charter (authorized) capital, its full name, date of registration, tax payer's identification number, bank account.

3. Voluntary donations of individuals and legal entities shall be remitted (credited) to the special electoral account of a candidate, registered candidate by post offices and credit institutions not later than the next banking day after receipt of the payment order. A non-cash payment shall be processed in not more than two banking days within a Subject of the Russian Federation and five days within the Russian Federation.

4. A candidate, registered candidate may return any donation, with the exception of anonymous ones, to donors. If a voluntary donation was paid into the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate by an individuals or a legal entity that are not allowed to make such donations or in an amount exceeding that established by Sub-clause "c" Clause 5 Article 55 of this Federal Law, the candidate, registered candidate shall, within ten days after the donation was received to the special electoral account, return it to the donor fully or in an amount exceeding the established maximum limit of donations, minus postage, indicating the reasons for the return. A candidate, registered candidate shall not be held responsible for acceptance of donations whose donors falsified the data required under Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article, if they were not informed in due time of the inadmissibility of these donations.

5. Within ten days after anonymous donations were received to the special electoral account a candidate, registered candidate shall remit these donations to the federal budget.

6. Individuals and legal entities may financially support the activities conducive to nomination and election of a candidate, registered candidate only through the candidate’s electoral fund. No paid work shall be performed, goods sold, paid services rendered, if they are directly or indirectly related to the election, without documents confirming the consent of a candidate, registered candidate or persons authorized by him/her to the performance of the work, sale of the goods, provision of the services and to the payment therefor from the candidate's electoral fund. Legal entities, their branches, representative offices and other divisions shall not perform any work, render any services directly or indirectly related to the election free of charge or at unreasonably low (high) rates. Material support may be rendered to the election-related activity of a candidate, registered candidate only if it is paid for from the electoral funds of the given candidate, registered candidate. During an election campaign an individual may perform work for and render services to a candidate, registered candidate voluntarily, personally and free of charge, without involvement of third persons.

Article 58. Reporting Requirements to Electoral Funds

1. The procedure for opening and maintaining special electoral accounts, keeping records and filing reports as well as the forms of reports of candidates, registered candidates concerning the sums contributed to and spent from their electoral funds shall be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and agreed with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Candidates, registered candidates shall keep records of the sums contributed to and spent from their electoral funds.

2. Candidates, registered candidates shall file financial reports with the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation within the following periods:

(a) the first financial report - when the registration documents are submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in a procedure established by this Federal Law; the report shall be drawn up as of the date five days before the date of the report;

(b) the second financial report - not earlier than 20 days and not later than 10 days prior to voting day; the report shall be drawn up as of the date seven days before the date of the report;

(c) the final financial report - not later than 30 days after the official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation. The final financial report shall be submitted together with the primary financial documents confirming the sums contributed to and spent from the electoral fund as well as the materials indicated in Clause 3 Article 52 of this Federal Law.

3. If a candidate, registered candidate has lost his/her status, the obligation to submit a financial report shall be imposed on a person who was a candidate, registered candidate.

4. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall pass copies of financial reports of registered candidates to the mass media within five days upon their receipt.

5. At least once a week and, within a period of less than ten days prior to voting day, at least once every three banking days, the branches of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall furnish to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the information concerning the sums credited to and withdrawn from the special electoral accounts of candidates, registered candidates according to a form established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. In this case use may be made of the state automated information system. Periodically, but at least once every two weeks up to voting day, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall furnish the information concerning sums contributed to and spent from the electoral funds to the mass media for publication. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall disclose the information about the sums contributed to and spent from the electoral funds, which it received from the branches of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation, to registered candidates and to the mass media on their official requests.

6. The editorial offices of state-run periodicals shall publish the information about the sums contributed to and spent from the electoral funds, passed on to them by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The information concerning the following matters shall be subject to mandatory publication:

(a) a financial operation which involves expenditure of money from the electoral fund in an amount exceeding by more than 2 thousand times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(b) the legal entities which donated sums to the electoral fund in an amount exceeding by more than one thousand times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(c) the number of individuals who have made donations to the electoral fund, which exceed by more than 100 times the minimum monthly wage established by the federal law as of the date of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(d) the sums returned to donors and the reasons for the return;

(e) the total amount of money contributed to the electoral fund and the total amount of money spent therefrom.

7. Within five days upon receipt from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation of a list of legal entities which have made voluntary donations to the electoral funds of candidates. registered candidates, the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation, bodies of state power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, bodies and organizations authorized by them to carry out registration of legal entities shall furnish to these commissions, free of charge, the information indicating the founders of the legal entities; the presence of a foreign, state or municipal share (in percent) or the absence of such a share in the charter (authorized) capital of these legal entities; the full name and date of registration of the legal entities. This information shall be submitted according to forms established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. In this case, use may be made of the state automated information system. Upon the request of candidates, registered candidates, their authorized representatives for financial matters the appropriate election commission shall, without any delay, disclose to them the information which it has at its disposal as of the date of the request. If an election commission has received information about donations made in violation of Clause 7 Article 55 of this Federal Law, this information shall be promptly made known by the election commission to the candidates, registered candidates concerned or to their authorized representatives for financial matters.

Article 59. Return of Money by Candidates, Registered Candidates

1. Before filing the final financial report a candidate who has not been registered by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall return the unspent sums remaining in his/her electoral funds to the individuals and legal entities that have donated money to the electoral fund, in proportion to the contributed amounts, minus postage.

2. Within 30 days after voting day (day of the repeat voting, if its was held), a registered candidate who, according to the voting returns, has received not less than 3 percent of the total number of votes cast by voters taking part in the voting or who has participated in the repeat voting as well as a registered candidate who has withdrawn his/her candidature before voting day because of compelling reasons shall return unspent money remaining in his/her electoral fund to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, in proportion to the amounts remitted to the electoral fund by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Upon the elapse of the aforementioned period the branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall remit the money due to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to the commission's account on its mandatory written instruction.

3. After returning the money to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation but before filing the final financial report a registered candidate coming within Clause 2 of this Article shall, with the concurrence of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, remit unspent sums remaining in his/her electoral fund, minus postage, to the individuals and legal entities that have made donations to the electoral fund, in proportion to the donated amounts.

4. Within 30 days after voting day (day of the repeat voting, if it was held), a registered candidate who does not come within Clause 2 of this Article shall return the full amount of money received under this Federal Law from the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for the formation of his/her electoral fund and payment of travel expenses. Upon the elapse of the aforementioned period the branch of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall remit the money due to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to the commission's account on its mandatory written instruction.

5. Within three days after official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall notify registered candidates who do not come within Clause 2 of this Article about the amount of budget funds that were previously allocated to them under this Federal Law for the formation of their electoral funds and payment of travel expenses and now have to be returned.

6. A registered candidate who does not come within Clause 2 of this Article shall not return any unspent sums remaining in his/her electoral funds to the individuals and legal entities that have made donations to his/her electoral fund before money has been returned to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. After money has been returned to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation a registered candidate who does not come within Clause 2 of this Article shall remit the unspent sums remaining in his/her electoral fund to the accounts of the individuals and legal entities in proportion to the donated amounts.

7. Upon the elapse of 60 days after voting day, on a written instruction of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation the branches of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation shall remit to the budget the sums remaining in the special electoral accounts of electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates.

8. If an electoral fund is short of or has no money, a registered candidate shall return budget funds to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation at his/her own expense.

9. A registered candidate who does not come within Clause 2 of this Article and who failed to meet the requirements of Clause 4 of this Article before filing the final financial report may return budget funds to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation within 12 months after voting day, if, when filing the final financial report in due time established by this Federal Law, he/she submits a notarized personal statement wherein he/she assumes an obligation to repay the debt.

10. If the obligations assumed in the statement submitted in pursuance of Clause 9 of this Article have not been fulfilled, the money shall be collected on the basis of a court order upon expiration of the period indicated in the statement for the return of the money. If a registered candidate who does not come within Clause 2 of this Article and failed to meet the requirements of Clause 4 this Article before filing the final financial report has not submitted a statement indicated in Clause 9 of this Article, the money shall be collected from this candidate on the basis of a court order upon the elapse of the period for filing the final financial report.

11. If a candidate, registered candidate has lost his/her status, the obligations established in this Article in respect of candidates, registered candidates shall be assumed by the citizen who was a candidate, registered candidate.

12. In the election of the President of the Russian Federation, a citizen of the Russian Federation and having arrears on repayment of budget funds to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation as of the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) this election shall not be entitled to receive any funds from the federal budget.

Article 60. Financial Support of Election Commissions

1. The funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and for funding the operation of election commissions shall be used by election commissions at their discretion for the purposes established by this Federal Law.

2. The allocations from the federal budget including the funds remaining from the previous periods shall be used to finance the following expenditures of election commissions:

(a) on the participation in the formation of electoral funds of registered candidates, in a procedure and amount established by this Federal Law;

(b) on the payment of compensations and transport expenses, with the exception of taxi and chartered transport, to registered candidates, in a procedure and amount established by Article 41 of this Federal Law;

(c) on the additional remuneration of voting members of election commissions, staff members of commissions and people who work in commissions under civil-law contracts;

(d) on the production of printed materials and publishing; on the acquisition and installation of technological equipment;

(e) on the payment of transport expenses, including expenses on the organization of voting in remote and hard-to-reach areas;

(f) on the delivery and safekeeping of electoral documentation;

(g) on the development of the electoral system, including introduction of new election technologies, means of automation, legal education of voters and election organizers, implementation of purpose-oriented programs;

(h) on the payment of travel and other expenses incidental to the conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation; on the support of the powers and operation of election commissions.

3. Russian Federation citizens who, on the request of an election commission, have been released from the main job for the period of the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation to discharge a state duty of a voting member of an election commission shall receive the average salary at the main job to be paid by the organization regardless of its form of ownership. Additional remuneration may be paid to voting members of an election commission from the funds allocated for the conduct of the election, in a procedure and amount to be established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

4. Labour remuneration of voting members of an election commission who are on the permanent staff thereof shall be paid within the limits of federal budget funds allocated to the election commission, in a procedure and amount established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

5. The procedure for opening and maintaining bank accounts, accounting, reporting, remitting funds allocated by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to other election commissions shall be established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and agreed with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The banks shall not charge any fee for opening and servicing accounts of election commissions and shall not pay any interest on the funds kept therein. Election commissions shall keep accounting records to record the expenditure of funds allocated to them from the federal budget.

6. The forms of financial reports of election commissions on the receipt and expenditure of funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and the forms to be used for presentation of the information concerning the sums contributed to and spent from electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates shall be established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and agreed with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

7. A precinct election commission shall submit a financial report to the territorial election commission on the receipt and expenditure of federal budget funds allocated to the given precinct election commission for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation not later than ten days after voting day (day of the repeat voting, if it was held). A territorial election commission shall submit a report on the receipt and expenditure of federal budget funds allocated to the given territorial election commission for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation not later than 25 days after voting day (day of the repeat voting, if it was held).

8. The election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall submit to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation a financial report on the receipt and expenditure of federal budget funds allocated to the given election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation for the preparation and conduct of the election of the President of the Russian Federation not later than 60 days after the day of official publication of the general election results.

9. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall submit a financial report on the expenditure of federal budget funds and the information concerning the sums contributed to and spent from electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates to the chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and shall pass them on to the mass media not later than three months after the day of official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation. The said financial report and information shall be published by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in its official bulletin not later than one month after their submission to the chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

Article 61. Review and Auditing Service of Election Commissions

1. The review and auditing service of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and review and auditing services of the Subjects of the Russian Federation shall be organized to exercise control over correct utilization of funds allocated to election commissions and monitor the sources, correct recording and use of the resources of electoral funds.

2. The review and auditing service shall include the head and the deputy head (deputy heads) of the service; members of the appropriate election commission appointed to the review and auditing service; specialists of the review and auditing service from the staff of state (law-enforcement, fiscal and other) bodies, organizations and institutions, including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation. On the request of the appropriate election commission these bodies shall, not later than a month after the day of official publication of the decision to call (hold) the election of the President of the Russian Federation, assign specialists to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation for a period of not less than six months and to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation for a period of not less than four months.

3. Specialists of the review and auditing service shall be released from their main job to perform their duties and shall receive their salary and other payments at the main place of employment.

4. The statute of the review and auditing service shall be approved by the appropriate election commission. The organizational, legal and logistical support for the review and auditing service of election commissions shall be provided by the appropriate election commissions.

5. The review and auditing service shall be entitled to monitor transfers to electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates, review recording and utilization of these transfers and check for correct utilization of the funds allocated to lower-level election commissions, using, if necessary the state automated information system. For the accomplishment of these purposes the review and auditing service acting on the requests of an election commission shall:

(a) verify financial reports of candidates, registered candidates, lower-level election commissions;

(b) request information concerning all matters within its scope of competence and receive this information from candidates, registered candidates, election commissions;

(c) apply to federal bodies of executive power, other bodies of state power, organizations of all forms of ownership and to individuals on all matters within the scope of its competence, request the necessary information and documents relating to the funding of the election of the President of the Russian Federation. Information and documents requested by a review and auditing service shall be provided within ten days and, five days to one day prior to voting day and on voting day, immediately;

(d) draw up documents recording financial irregularities in the funding of the election of the President of the Russian Federation;

(e) request the appropriate election commissions to call to account candidates, registered candidates as well as individuals and legal entities for the violations committed by them in the funding of the election campaign;

(f) engage experts for the performance of audits and preparation of reports and expert assessments.

Chapter IX. VOTING AND DETERMINATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Article 62. Voting Premises

1. The voting premises shall be placed at the disposal of the precinct election commission free of charge by the head of the municipal unit, or, if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for an office of head of the municipal unit, by a person authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government.

2. The voting premises shall have a hall where ballot boxes, booths or other specially equipped places for secret voting shall be located or rooms suitable for secret voting provided with a lighting system, tables, writing utensils (with the exception of pencils).

3. Inside or directly in front of the voting premises a precinct election commission shall set up a bulletin board displaying a sample of a marked ballot and information materials about all registered candidates.

Information materials about each registered candidate shall indicate the first, middle and last name of each registered candidate his/her pseudonym (if it was registered in accordance with Clause 2 Article 39 of this Federal Law), year of birth, education, main place of work or service and official position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service), address of the place of residence, membership of the registered candidate in a public association and his/her status therein (if such information was presented to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in accordance with Clause 7 Article 33 or Clause 11 Article 34 of this Federal Law), name of the elective office in a body of state power or body of local self-government held by the registered candidate and elected directly by Russian Federation citizens (if any), information as to who nominated the given candidate.

These information materials shall also include other biographical data to be submitted by registered candidates, the maximum scope of which shall be established by the decisions of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

If a registered candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the information materials shall indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the registered candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the registered candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If a registered candidate has Russian Federation citizenship and foreign citizenship, the information materials shall indicate this fact and the name of the corresponding foreign state. The sample of a marked ballot displayed on the bulletin board shall not contain the names of registered candidates and the names of electoral associations, electoral blocs which nominated registered candidates Information about registered candidates shall be arranged in the information materials in the order which was determined when the form and the text of a ballot were approved. The bulletin board shall also display excerpts from the criminal and administrative laws of the Russian Federation establishing responsibility for violation of electoral rights of Russian Federation citizens. The precinct election commission shall arrange these materials so that voters could easily read them.

4. Upon commencement of voting, an oversize protocol of voting returns shall be displayed inside the voting premises to record voting returns as they are tabulated.

5. The voting premises shall be fitted out so that the places where ballots are given out, the voting booths, other places for secret voting and the ballot boxes are all located in the field of vision of members of the precinct election commission, observers.

Article 63. Ballot

1. Ballots shall be printed for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation. Ballots shall be documents of strict accountability, with their degree of protection to be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Numbering of ballots shall not be allowed. The procedure for the printing of ballots, their quantity and the requirements to their printing shall be approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation not later than 35 days prior to voting day.

2. The form and the Russian text of the ballot shall be approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation not later than 32 days prior to voting day. The text shall be printed only on one side of the ballot.

3. The ballot shall indicate the first, middle and last name and a pseudonym (if was registered in accordance with Clause 2 Article 39 of this Federal Law) of each registered candidate arranged in the alphabetical order; his/her year of birth; place of residence; main place of work or service; official position (occupation, if there is no main place of work or service); name of the elective office in the body of state power or body of local self-government held by each registered candidate and elected directly by Russian Federation citizens (if any); information as to who nominated the given registered candidate. The ballot shall also indicate an abbreviated name of the public association the membership in which was indicated by the registered candidate in accordance with Clause 7 Article 33 or Clause 11 Article 34 of this Federal Law, and the status of the given registered candidate therein. A blank box shall be placed to the right of the data of each registered candidate. A line reading "Against all candidates" with a blank box to the right thereof shall be placed at the end of the list of registered candidates.

4. If a registered candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the ballot shall indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If a registered candidate has Russian Federation citizenship and foreign citizenship, the ballot shall indicate this fact and the name of the corresponding foreign state. The data concerning convictions and foreign citizenship shall be indicated in the ballot on the basis of the documents which were submitted to the election commission before approval of the text of the ballot.

5. Each ballot shall contain marking instructions.

6. Ballots shall be printed in the Russian language. Subject to a decision of the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation, ballots may be printed in the Russian language and in the official language of the given Subject of the Russian Federation, and, in the necessary cases, in the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation in the territories where they are concentrated. If ballots for an electoral precinct are printed in two or more languages, the text in the Russian language shall be printed on each ballot. The text of such a ballot in the official language of the Subject of the Russian Federation and in the languages of peoples of the Russian Federation shall be approved by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation not later than 27 days prior to voting day.

7. Ballots shall be printed only by a decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation under the supervision of its representatives by printing organizations adequately equipped for printing electoral documents, not later than 22 days prior to voting day. The number of ballots printed for the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall not exceed by more than 3 percent the number of registered voters.

8. The printing organization shall reject defective ballots and shall hand over the ballots to the duly authorized members of the election commission which placed an order for their printing, on the basis of a transfer record indicating the date and time when it was drawn up and the number of ballots being handed over. Immediately after the ballots have been handed over in the quantity corresponding to the order the employees of the printing organization shall destroy the rejected and surplus ballots and shall draw up a certificate to this effect to be signed by all persons present thereat. These actions may be observed by other members of the election commission, registered candidates, their agents, it they wish to do so. The election commission shall notify all members of the commission, registered candidates, and their agents about the time when and the place where the ballots are to be handed over and the printing organization shall make it possible for these persons to be present thereat.

9. After receiving ballots from the printing organization the election commission of a which placed an order for the printing of the ballots shall, not later than 20 days prior to voting day, transfer the ballots to territorial election commissions on the basis of a transfer record indicating the time when the record was drawn up and the quantity of transferred ballots. The number of ballots to be transferred to each territorial election commission shall be determined by a decision of the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation but this number shall not exceed by more than 2.5 percent the number of voters registered in the corresponding territory. The ballots remaining after transfer of ballots to territorial election commissions shall be kept by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. Proceeding in the same manner a territorial election commission shall transfer ballots to precinct election commissions not later than four days prior to voting day. For each electoral precinct the number of ballots to be transferred to the precinct election commission shall not be less than 90 percent of the number of voters included in the voters lists of the given electoral precinct as of the day of the transfer of ballots and shall not exceed this number by more than 0.5 percent. Precinct election commissions formed outside the territory of the Russian Federation may receive ballots directly from the election commission which placed an order for the printing of ballots, in a procedure established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. On the face at the upper right of the ballot there will be signatures of two voting members of a precinct election commission certified by the election commission's seal. The transfer of ballots from a higher-level to a lower-level election commission may be observed by members of these and higher-level election commissions, registered candidates, their agents. The election commission shall notify its members about the time and place when and where ballots are to be transferred.

10. The responsibility for the transfer of ballots and ballot security shall be borne by chairmen of election commissions which transfer, receive and keep ballots.

11. If some registered candidates withdraw from the election or registration of some candidates is annulled after the ballots have been printed, territorial election commissions and precinct election commissions shall, on the instruction of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, strike out the data of these registered candidates on ballots. If the data of a registered candidate indicated in printed ballots has to be changed and supplemented, members of a territorial election commission, precinct election commission may, subject to a decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, make these changes and additions in the ballots by hand or with the use of a stamp.

12. In exceptional cases, in electoral precincts formed in remote and hard-to-reach regions, on ships which are at sea on voting day, at polar stations, in electoral precincts established outside the territory of the Russian Federation electoral documentation, including ballots, may be printed by the precinct election commission itself, if the necessary technical facilities are available. A decision to print the electoral documentation indicating the necessary number of ballots shall be taken by this precinct election commission with the concurrence of the territorial election commission or the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

13. On voting day, after the voting time ends, unused ballots remaining in the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation, a territorial election commission shall be cancelled and a certificate evidencing this fact shall be drawn up. Cancellation of ballots may be watched by the persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law. The cancelled ballots shall be kept by the secretary of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, territorial election commission together with other documentation of the commission.

14. In the event of the repeat voting the periods indicated in this Article may be reduced by a decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, but by not more than three times.

Article 64. Absentee Certificate

1. An absentee certificate for voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be a document of strict accountability, whose degree of protection shall be determined by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The absentee certificate shall have a detachable coupon. The form of an absentee certificate, the procedure for their printing, their quantity, the form of a journal to record issuance of absentee certificates and the requirements to the printing of absentee certificates shall be approved by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation not later than 60 days prior to voting day. Absentee certificates shall be transferred from a higher-level election commission to a lower-level election commission in the same manner as ballots. The responsibility for the transfer and security of absentee certificates shall be borne by chairmen of election commissions which transfer, receive and keep absentee certificates.

2. A voter unable to come to the voting premises of the electoral precinct where he/she is included in the voters list shall be entitled to obtain an absentee certificate (in the event of the repeat voting – an absentee certificate without a detachable coupon) from a territorial election commission (45 - 25 days prior to voting day), a precinct election commission (24 days - 1 day prior to voting day and in the period from the day on which the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation declares the repeat voting to the day preceding the day of the repeat voting) and take part in the voting in the electoral precinct where this voter will be staying on voting day.

3. On the basis of a written application of a voter indicating the reasons why the voter needs an absentee certificate the election commission shall issue an absentee certificate either to the voter personally or to his/her representative provided with a notarized power of attorney. The power of attorney may also be certified by the administration of a hospital where the voter is undergoing medical treatment, by the administration of an institution where suspects or defendants are confined.

4. A territorial election commission shall issue an absentee certificate to a voter or his/her representative on the basis of the voter data supplied to the commission by the head of a municipal unit (if the charter of the municipal unit does not provide for the office of head of the municipal unit, by a person authorized to do so by the representative body of local self-government) in accordance with the "Regulation on the State Registry of Voters, Referendum Participants." A territorial election commission shall keep a journal of issued absentee certificates indicating the first, middle and last name of the voter, his/her year of birth (for voters 18 years old - also the day and month of birth), address of the place of residence. Twenty five days prior to voting day, a territorial election commission shall, together with the first copies of voters lists, furnish to precinct election commissions certified excerpts from the journal of issued absentee certificates indicating the data of voters registered in the territory of these electoral precincts, who have received absentee certificates. Based on these excerpts a precinct election commission shall make corresponding notes in the voters lists.

5. A voter or his/her representative shall sign for the receipt of an absentee certificate in the journal of issued absentee certificates (in a territorial election commission) or in the voters list (in a precinct election commission), indicating the series and number of his/her passport or equivalent identity paper. This voter shall be excluded from the voters list of the electoral precinct in the given election of the President of the Russian Federation and shall not be reckoned in the counting of the number of registered voters when the precinct election commission draws up its protocol.

6. An absentee certificate shall be valid if it has been stamped twice with the seal of a territorial or a precinct election commission and bears two signatures of the member of the territorial or precinct election commission who issued the absentee certificate, with the detachable coupon bearing one of the signatures and one of the seals. In the event of the repeat voting an absentee certificate shall be valid if it bears the seal of a territorial or precinct election commission and the signature of the member of a territorial or precinct election commission who issued the absentee certificate.

7. Upon presentation of an absentee certificate, a voter shall be put on the voters list in any other electoral precinct. If voting is conducted in the general election of the President of the Russian Federation, the detachable coupon shall be torn away from the absentee certificate presented by a voter. In the event of the repeat voting the absentee certificate shall be withdrawn. When receiving a ballot on the basis of an absentee certificate a voter shall indicate the address of his/her place of residence in the voters list.

8. In the event of the repeat voting unused detachable coupons of absentee certificates which were issued to voters in the period from the day on which the repeat voting was declared by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation to the day preceding the day of the repeat voting shall be cancelled. On the day of the repeat voting, before voting time begins, unused absentee certificates shall be cancelled. A territorial or precinct election commission shall draw up a protocol to certify cancellation of unused detachable coupons and absentee certificates. If the President of the Russian Federation was elected as a result of the general elections or the general elections were declared to have not taken place or to be null and void, unused absentee certificates shall be cancelled by an election commission on the third day after official publication of the results of the general elections.

Article 65. Voting

1. Voting shall be conducted on a calendar non-working day from 8.00 to 20.00 local time.

2. Precinct election commissions shall inform voters about the time and place of voting not later than 20 days prior to voting day through the mass media or by other means or, in the event of early voting in accordance with Article 66 of this Federal Law, not later than five days prior to the day of early voting.

3. A precinct election commission formed on ships at sea, in military units, at polar stations, in remote and hard-to-reach regions may declare the voting completed ahead of the time specified in Clause 1 of this Article if all the voters on the voters list have voted.

4. At 8.00 on voting day, the chairman of a precinct election commission shall declare the voting premises open and shall show empty stationary and mobile ballot boxes to the members of the precinct election commission, voters and persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law. After this, the ballot boxes shall be sealed with the seal of the precinct election commission (a seal shall be affixed). The chairman of a precinct election commission shall also show to the said persons sealed mobile ballot boxes containing ballots marked in accordance with Clauses 2 - 9 Article 66 of this Federal Law by voters (if any) who have voted early. Then the chairman of a precinct election commission shall invite voters to start voting.

5. Voting members of a precinct election commission shall receive ballots from the chairman of a precinct election commission for issuance to voters and shall sign for their receipt.

6. Ballots shall be given to voters included in the voters lists upon presentation of a passport or an equivalent identity paper (a serviceman's card or an officer's identity card for persons who undergo military service, a certificate, other paper of a standard format issued by the internal affairs bodies, a foreign passport of the Russian Federation citizen for persons who permanently reside or currently stay outside the territory of the Russian Federation, a seaman's passport). Each voter shall be entitled to receive one ballot, save the cases provided by Clause 12 of this Article. Before issuing a ballot to a voter the member of a precinct election commission shall make sure that an absentee certificate has not been issued to the given voter, the voter has not voted early, no application from the voter for voting outside the voting premises is recorded in the journal indicated in Clause 2 Article 67 of this Federal Law and no voting members of the precinct election commission have been sent to the voter to conduct voting outside the voting premises. Upon presentation of an absentee certificate, a voter shall be additionally included in the voters list, the detachable coupon of the absentee certificate and, in the event of the repeat voting, the absentee certificate shall be taken away from the voter and cancelled.

7. When receiving a ballot, a voter shall write the series and number of his/her passport or equivalent identity paper and put his/her signature in the voters list. With the consent or at the request of the voter the series and number of his/her passport or equivalent identify paper may be written in the voters list by any voting member of a precinct election commission. The voter shall check the correctness of the entry and shall sign for the receipt of a ballot.

8. If a voter is unable to sign for the receipt of a ballot by himself/herself, he/she may ask other persons to help him/her, if these persons are not members of the election commission, registered candidates, authorized representatives and agents of registered candidates, authorized representatives of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters' group which nominated a registered candidate, observers, foreign (international) observers. The person who helped the voter shall put his/her signature in the column "Voter's Signature for Receipt of Ballot" in the voters list indicating his/her first, middle and last name, the series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper.

9. Each voter shall vote in person. Voting for other voters shall not be allowed. Ballots shall be marked in a specially equipped booth or in another specially equipped place or room for secret voting, where the presence of any other persons shall not be allowed.

10. A voter who is unable to mark the ballot by himself/herself may be assisted by another voter who is not a member of the election commission, a registered candidate, an authorized representative for financial matters or an agent of a registered candidate, an authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters' group which nominated a registered candidate, observer, foreign (international) observer. In this case, the voter shall orally inform the election commission of his/her intention to ask for assistance in marking the ballot. The first, middle and last name, series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper of the person assisting the voter shall be marked in the appropriate column (columns) of the voters list.

11. On the ballot the voter shall put any mark inside the blank box to the right of the name of the registered candidate for which he/she votes or inside the box placed to the right of the words "Against all candidates."

12. If a voter thinks that he/she has made a mistake when marking a ballot, he/she may ask the election commission member who issued him/her a ballot to give him/her a new ballot in place of the spoilt one. The election commission member shall issue a new ballot to the voter, make a note to this effect in the voters list against the name of this voter and sign the note. The spoilt ballot shall be immediately canceled and an act shall be drawn up to this effect.

13. Voters shall drop marked ballots into a sealed stationary ballot box.

14. The chairman of a precinct election commission shall maintain order in the voting premises. Instructions of the chairman of the precinct election commission issued within the scope of his/her competence shall be mandatory for all those present inside the voting premises. In case the chairman of a precinct election commission is absent, his/her functions shall be performed by the deputy chairman of the precinct election commission, and, in the absence of the deputy chairman, by the secretary of the precinct election commission or some other voting member of the given election commission authorized thereby.

15. Persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law may be present in the voting premises during the voting, when votes are counted and when a precinct election commission draws up a protocol of voting returns. Based on their credentials a precinct election commission shall make up a list of persons who observed the progress of voting and the counting of votes.

16. Any member of a precinct election commission shall be immediately barred from participation in the commission's work and an observer and other persons shall be expelled from the voting premises if they try to obstruct the work of the election commission or the exercise by a Russian Federation citizen of his/her electoral rights or attempt to violate the secrecy of voting. The appropriate decision shall be taken by a precinct election commission or a higher-level election commission. In this case, the commission shall be entitled to request the appropriate authorities to bring to responsibility the barred member of the precinct election commission or expelled observers and other persons, subject to federal laws.

17. Registered candidates, their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, electoral associations, electoral blocs which nominated registered candidates and the organizations whose founders, owners, possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the said persons and organizations as well as other natural persons and legal entities acting on the request or on the instructions of the said persons and organizations shall not take any steps to arrange for transportation of voters to voting premises.

Article 66. Early Voting

1. Election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation may allow all voters in one of or several electoral precincts on ships at sea on voting day, at polar stations, in other remote and hard-to-reach areas to vote early but not earlier than 15 days prior to voting day. In this case, early voting shall be conducted in accordance with the rules established by Article 65 of this Federal Law. Immediately after the end of early voting votes cast by voters shall be counted and voting returns determined in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 68 and 69 of this Federal Law.

2. If separate groups of voters included in the voters list of the given electoral precinct are located at places which are far away from the voting premises and are inaccessible or hard to reach by any means of transport (at polar stations, in remote and hard-to-reach areas, etc.) and, therefore, early voting cannot be conducted in the whole electoral precinct in accordance with Clause 1 of this Article, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation may allow these groups of voters to vote early but not earlier than 15 days prior to voting day, in the course of several days, in a procedure established by Clauses 3 - 9 of this Article.

3. To conduct early voting in accordance with Clause 2 of this Article use shall be made of mobile ballot boxes the number of which shall be determined by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. Before early voting starts, empty mobile ballot boxes shall be produced for examination to the majority of the members of a precinct election commission and to the persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law present on the commission's premises, and a protocol shall be drawn up to record this fact. After that, empty mobile ballot boxes shall be sealed (seals shall be affixed).

4. Two voting members of a precinct election commission shall put their signatures at the upper right on the face of each ballot issued to a voter who votes early and their signatures shall be certified with the seal of the precinct election commission.

5. Early voting outside the voting premises shall be conducted by not less than two voting members of a precinct election commission. They shall be provided with a mobile ballot box sealed by the precinct election commission, the required number of ballots of a standard format, an excerpt from the voters list containing data of the voters whom they are going to visit to conduct early voting or the voters list as well as the necessary writing utensils (excepting pencils) to mark ballots.

6. A voter who votes early shall sign for the receipt of a ballot issued to him/her in the excerpt from the voters list or in the voters list. Election commission members who conduct early voting shall make a note in the said excerpt or in the voters list to indicate that the voter voted early and shall mark the date and time of voting. If a voter put his/her signature in the excerpt from the voters list, these notes as well as the series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper of the voter shall be entered in the voters list after early voting ends. The said excerpt from the voters list shall be kept together with the voters list.

7. A voter shall mark the ballot and drop it into the mobile ballot box as provided by Article 65 of this Federal Law.

8. A protocol shall be drawn up to record the fact of early voting, indicating the day and time of voting, the number of voters who received ballots for early voting, the names of the members of the election commission and other persons present at the voting. This protocol shall be kept together with the mobile ballot box.

9. After the end of early voting the slots for ballots in mobile ballot boxes shall be sealed by the chairman of a precinct election commission, and the secretary of a precinct election commission shall make arrangements for the safekeeping of the mobile ballot boxes. The mobile ballot boxes shall not be opened till commencement of vote counting at a precinct voting premises. The mobile ballot boxes with the ballots of voters who voted early shall not be used for voting on voting day.

10. Early voting may be observed by the persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law. When early voting is to be conducted with the use of mobile ballot boxes, a precinct election commission shall make arrangements to ensure that at least two persons - non-voting members of the election commission, observers appointed by different registered candidates are offered the same possibilities as the voting members of a precinct election commission to go to the place where early voting is to be conducted.

11. Early voting may be conducted only at the time appointed by the decision of a precinct election commission. This time shall be made known to voters and persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law through the mass media and/or by other means.

12. When conducting early voting an election commission shall ensure the secrecy of voting, prevent any possibility of the expression of the voters' will being distorted, make arrangements for the safekeeping of ballots and ensure that the votes of voters are reckoned in the determination of the voting returns.

Article 67. Voting Outside the Voting Premises on Voting Day

1. A precinct election commission shall make arrangements to enable voters to vote if they are entitled to be or are included in the voters list of the given electoral precinct but are unable to come on their own to the voting premises for valid reasons (poor health, physical disability, etc.). A precinct election commission may determine that the reason is untenable and refuse to conduct voting outside the voting premises.

2. Save as provided otherwise by Article 66 of this Federal Law voting outside voting premises shall be carried out only on voting day and only on the basis of a written application or an oral request of a voter (which may be relayed through other persons) asking for a possibility to vote outside the voting premises. The application (request) may be submitted by a voter at any time after formation of a precinct election commission but not later than four hours before the end of voting time on voting day. A precinct election commission shall record all received applications (requests) in a special journal.

3. The entry recording an oral request in the journal mentioned in Clause 2 of this Article shall indicate the time when the request was received; the first, middle and last name of the precinct commission member who received the request (telephone call, message, etc.) and the member's signature; the first, middle and last name of the person who relayed the message. Upon arrival of commission members to the voter the request shall be confirmed by a written application which shall be duly registered, with the indication of the time when the application was submitted.

4. A written application of a voter for voting outside the voting premises shall state the reason why the voter is unable to come to the voting premises and shall indicate the same voter data as is contained in the voters list.

5. At least 30 minutes before the departure of members of a precinct election commission, the chairman of the precinct election commission shall announce that commission members are going to conduct voting outside the voting premises.

6. A precinct election commission shall have the necessary number (but not more than three) mobile ballot boxes to conduct voting as provided for by this Article, the number of such boxes to be determined by the decision of the territorial election commission.

7. Having received ballots the voting members of a precinct election commission who conduct voting outside the voting premises shall sign for the receipt of the ballots in the journal of issuance of ballots for voting outside the voting premises. Voting outside the voting premises shall be conducted by not less than two voting members of a precinct election commission who shall bring with them a mobile ballot box sealed by the precinct election commission; the required number of ballots of a standard format; a certified extract from the journal indicated in Clause 2 of this Article containing the data required by Clause 9 Article 25 of this Federal Law about the voters on whose request voting outside the voting premises is to be conducted (an appropriate note shall be made in the journal when this extract is made); the written applications for voting outside the voting premises; the necessary writing utensils (excepting pencils) for the voter to mark the ballots.

8. Voting outside the voting premises shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 65 of this Federal Law.

9. A voter shall write the series and number of his/her passport or equivalent identity paper and the address of the place of residence on his/her written application for voting outside the voting premises and shall confirm the receipt of a ballot by his/her signature. The voting members of a precinct commission shall confirm the issuance of ballots by putting their signatures on the application. A corresponding note shall also be made on the application when a new ballot is issued in place of a spoilt one.

10. The voting members of a precinct election commission who conduct voting outside the voting premises shall issue ballots only to those voters whose applications (requests) have been recorded in the journal as provided by Clause 2 of this Article.

11. The series and number of the passport or an equivalent identity paper of a voter who voted outside the voting premises shall be marked in the voters list by the voting members of a precinct election commission who conducted voting outside the voting premises. At the same time, the words "Voted outside voting premises" shall be written in the appropriate column (columns) of the voters list.

12. Voting outside the voting premises may be observed by non-voting members of an election commission, observers. In this case, a precinct election commission shall provide the same possibilities to come to the place of voting both to voting members of the precinct election commission who conduct voting outside the voting premises and to not less than two non-voting members of the election commission and observers appointed by various registered candidates. Voting outside the voting premises shall be organized so as to prevent any violations of electoral rights of citizens and distortion of the expression of their will.

13. If a voter who submitted an application (request) for voting outside the voting premises comes to the voting premises to vote after the voting members of a precinct election commission were sent to him/her to conduct voting outside the voting premises, none of the members of the precinct election commission shall issue a ballot to this voter in the voting premises until the members of the precinct election commission who went to the voter in response to his/her application (request) to conduct voting outside the voting premises come back and until it is established that the voter did not vote outside the voting premises.

14. After the end of voting outside the voting premises with the use of a mobile ballot box a precinct election commission shall draw up an act indicating the number of ballots issued to the commission members who conducted voting outside the voting premises; the number of written applications from voters asking for a possibility to vote outside the voting premises; the number of ballots issued to such voters; the number of returned ballots (ballots which were not used or were spoilt by voters); the data of the voting members of the precinct election commission who conducted voting outside the voting premises, the non-voting members of the precinct election commission and observers who were present when voting was conducted outside the voting premises.

15. Voting outside the voting premises conducted by one voting member of a precinct election commission, violation of the provisions of Clause 12 of this Article, a possibility to vote granted to voters who are not included in the journal indicated in Clause 2 of this Article shall result in the invalidation of the ballots contained in the corresponding mobile ballot box.

Article 68. Protocol of Voting Returns of a Precinct Election Commission

1. A precinct election commission shall draw up a protocol of voting returns.

2. As a rule, a precinct election commission shall draw up a protocol of voting returns shall on one sheet. If the protocol has been drawn up on more sheets than one, each sheet shall be numbered, signed by all present voting members of a precinct election commission and certified with the commission's seal. The protocol of a precinct election commission shall contain the following:

(a) No. of the copy;

(b) name of the election, date of voting;

(d) the name of the election commission and the number of the electoral precinct;

(e) the lines of the protocol:

line 1: number of voters included in the voters list as of the end of voting;

line 2: number of ballots received by the precinct election commission;

line 3: number of ballots issued to voters who voted early;

line 4: number of canceled ballots;

line 5: number of ballots issued to voters at the voting premises on voting day;

line 6: number of ballots issued to voters who voted outside the voting premises;

line 7: number of ballots in the mobile ballot boxes;

line 8: number of ballots in the stationary ballot boxes;

line 9: number of valid ballots;

line 10: total number of invalidated ballots;

line 11: number of ballots invalidated on the basis of Clause 14 Article 69 of this Federal Law (if the number of ballots found in a mobile ballot box exceeds the number of voters' applications marked to certify receipt of ballots or the number of notes in the voters list indicating that the voters voted early);

line 12: number of invalid ballots where none of the boxes are marked;

line 13: number of absentee certificates received by the precinct election commission;

line 14: number of absentee certificates issued to voters by the precinct election commission in the premises of the electoral precinct before voting day;

line 15: number of voters who voted in the electoral precinct on the basis of absentee certificates;

line 16: number of unused absentee certificates (in the event of the repeat voting – the number of cancelled unused absentee certificates);

line 17: number of detachable coupons of absentee certificates cancelled in accordance with Clause 6 Article 65 of this Federal Law (in the event of the repeat voting – the number of absentee certificates cancelled in accordance with Clause 6 Article 65 of this Federal Law);

(f) the list of complaints (statements), records, acts and other documents attached to the protocol;

(g) the names and initials of the chairman, the deputy chairman, the secretary and other members of the election commission and their signatures;

(h) the date and time (hours, minutes) when the protocol was singed (if the protocol contains more than one sheet - each sheet of the protocol shall be signed);

(i) the seal of the election commission (if the protocol contains more than one sheet - each sheet of the protocol shall be sealed).

3. The following data shall be entered in line 18 and subsequent lines of the protocol of voting returns:

the fist, middle and last names of the registered candidates put on the ballot, in the alphabetical order, and, if these names coincide, other data of the registered candidates;

the number of votes cast for each registered candidate;

the number of votes cast against all candidates.

4. The numerical data indicated in Clauses 2 and 3 of this Article shall be entered in the protocol of voting returns in numerals and in words.

Article 69. Counting of Votes and Compilation of the Protocol of Voting Returns by Precinct Election Commissions

1. The votes cast by voters shall be counted openly and publicly, directly by the voting members of a precinct election commission. The persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law shall be given a possibility to be present at and observe vote counting.

2. After the end of voting time, the chairman of a precinct election commission shall announce that only those voters who are already inside the voting premises may receive ballots and vote. Counting of votes shall begin immediately after the voting time ends and shall be continued without interruption until the voting returns are tabulated. These voting returns shall be made known to all members of a precinct election commission and persons present at vote counting in accordance with this Federal Law.

3. After the end of voting, the voting members of a precinct election commission in the presence of persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law shall count unused ballots and cancel them by cutting off the lower left corner (care shall be taken to avoid damaging the boxes located on the ballots to the right of the data of registered candidates and against the line "Against all candidates"), announce the number of cancelled ballots obtained by summing up the number of unused ballots and the number of ballots spoilt by voters in the course of voting and enter this data in line 4 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version. Then members of the precinct election commission shall announce the number of unused absentee certificates and shall enter this number in line 16 of the protocol of voting returns and its oversize version. Detachable coupons of absentee certificates and, in the event of the repeat voting, absentee certificates cancelled in pursuance of Clause 6 Article 65 of this Federal Law shall be counted and their number shall be announced and entered in line 17 of the protocol of voting returns and its oversize version. The cancelled ballots, detachable coupons and absentee certificates may be examined by non-voting members of the election commission, observers, foreign (international) observers under the supervision of voting members of the precinct election commission.

4. Before starting to count votes the voting members of a precinct election commission shall sum up the following data on each sheet of the voters list and mark the summarized data on the sheets:

(a) the number of voters put on the list (minus the voters issued absentee certificates by the territorial and the precinct election commission);

(b) the number of ballots issued to voters at the voting premises of the electoral precinct on voting day (to be established on the basis of the number of voter signatures in the voters list);

(c) the number of ballots issued to voters who voted outside the voting premises (to be established on the basis of the number of the corresponding notes in the voters list);

(d) the number of voters who voted early (to be established on the basis of the number of the corresponding notes in the voters list);

(e) the number of absentee certificates issued by the precinct election commission to voters of the electoral precinct;

(f) the number of voters who voted at the voting premises of the electoral precinct on the basis of absentee certificates.

5. After entering the data indicated in Clause 4 of this Article the voting member of a precinct election commission who entered this data shall sign each sheet of the voters list, sum up this data and announce the summarized data to the chairman, the deputy chairman or the secretary of the precinct election commission and to persons present at vote counting. The chairman, the deputy chairman or the secretary of the precinct election commission shall write the summarized data, i.e., the sum total of the data determined in accordance with Clause 4 of this Article, on the last sheet of the voters list and shall certify this data with his/her signature and the seal of the precinct election commission. After that, the voters list shall be made available for examination to persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law.

6. The chairman, the deputy chairman or the secretary of a precinct election commission shall check and announce the following data and then enter this data in lines 1 and 2 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version:

(a) the number of voters in the voters list as of the end of voting;

(b) the number of ballots received by the precinct election commission.

7. The following data shall be announced and entered in lines 13, 14, 15 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version:

(a) the number of absentee certificates received by the precinct election commission;

(b) the number of absentee certificates issued by the precinct election commission to voters of the electoral precinct;

8. Then, the following data shall be announced and entered in lines 3, 5, and 6 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version:

(a) the number of ballots issued to voters at the voting premises on voting day;

(b) the number of ballots issued to voters who voted outside the voting premises;

(c) the number of ballots issued to voters who voted early in accordance with Clauses 2 - 9 Article 66 of this Federal Law.

9. After this, the chairman or the secretary of a precinct election commission shall take steps to ensure the safekeeping of the voters list and make it inaccessible to persons participating in vote counting. No further work shall be carried out on the voters list until the control relationships of data entered in the protocol of voting returns are checked as provided by Clause 22 of this Article.

10. Votes cast by voters shall be counted directly by the voting members of a precinct election commission from the ballots in the ballot boxes.

11. Non-voting members of a precinct election commission, persons listed in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law shall be entitled to be present at vote counting.

12. Direct counting of votes shall be carried out at the voting premises in places arranged so as to be accessible for the voting and non-voting members of a precinct election commission. While counting votes members of a precinct election commission, with the exception of the chairman (deputy chairman) and the secretary of a precinct election commission, shall not use any writing utensils. At such time, all persons present at vote counting must have a possibility to observe the actions of members of the precinct election commission.

13. In the course of direct counting of votes a precinct election commission shall separate ballots which do not conform to a standard format, i.e., which have not been printed officially or have not been certified by the election commission. Such ballots shall not be reckoned in the direct counting of votes.

14. At first, it shall be necessary to count ballots in the mobile ballot boxes: first in the boxes containing ballots left by voters who voted early, then in the boxes containing ballots left by voters who voted outside the voting premises on voting day. Before each mobile ballot box is opened the number of voters who voted with the use of the given mobile ballot box shall be announced and then the chairman of a precinct election commission shall ask the commission members and other persons present at vote counting to check the integrity of the seals on the box. Ballots shall be counted in such a way as to avoid violating the secrecy of voting; non-standard ballots shall be placed separately. The number of standard ballots taken out of the mobile boxes shall be announced and entered in line 7 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version. If the number of standard ballots in a mobile ballot is found to be larger than the number of notes in the voters list indicating that the voters voted early or larger than the number of applications of voters marked to certify receipt of ballots, all ballots in the given mobile ballot box shall be invalidated by the decision of the precinct election commission and this fact shall be recorded in a separate act which shall be attached to the protocol of voting returns. The act shall indicate the surnames and initials of the members of the election commission who conducted early voting, voting outside the voting premises using this mobile ballot box. The number of ballots invalidated in this case shall be entered in line 11 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version and shall not be reckoned in direct vote counting. Such ballots shall be packed in a separate sealed bundle.

15. The stationary ballot boxes shall be opened after the seals thereon are checked and found intact.

16. The voting members of a precinct election commission shall sort out the ballots taken out of the mobile and stationary ballot boxes into separate bundles according to the votes cast for each registered candidate, and against all candidates; at the same time, they shall separate ballots which do not conform to the standard format and invalid ballots. While sorting out the ballots, the voting members of the precinct election commission shall read aloud the notes made by voters on ballots and show ballots to all persons present at vote counting. The notes on two and more ballots shall not be read aloud simultaneously.

17. After the ballots have been sorted out, votes cast by voters shall be counted on the standard ballots. Not less than two voting members of a precinct election commission shall count the ballots in accordance with the votes cast for each registered candidate and the votes cast "Against all candidates." The counts shall be first announced and then entered in line 18 and subsequent lines of the protocol of voting returns and its oversize version.

18. Invalid ballots shall be counted and summed up separately. The total number of invalid ballots, including the ballots invalidated on the basis of Clause 14 of this Article, shall be announced and entered in line 10 of the protocol of voting returns and its oversize version. The number of invalid ballots where none of the options are marked shall be entered in line 12 of the protocol and its oversize version. Ballots shall be invalidated if they make it impossible to establish the expression of a voter's will, specifically the ballots wherein a mark (marks) was (were) put in more than one box or in none of the boxes. If any doubts arise in pronouncing a ballot invalid, a precinct election commission shall decide the matter by voting and the reasons for invalidating the ballot shall be indicated on the back of the ballot. This inscription shall be certified by signatures of not less than three voting members of the commission and its seal.

19. After counting the invalidated ballots the voting members of a precinct election commission shall sum up the data of line 18 and the subsequent lines of the protocol of voting returns, announce the number of valid ballots and enter this number in line 9 of the protocol of voting returns and its oversize version.

20. The voting members of a precinct election commission shall count the number of standard ballots in the stationary ballot boxes, announce this number and enter it in line 8 of the protocol of voting returns and in its oversize version.

21. Non-voting members of a precinct election commission, observers, foreign (international) observers may examine the sorted out ballots under the supervision of the voting members of the precinct election commission.

22. After the ballots have been counted, a check shall be made using the control relationships between the data entered in the protocol of voting returns (Annex 4). If the control relationships fail to coincide, a precinct election commission shall carry out additional counting of votes for all or some of the lines of the protocol of voting returns, including additional counting of ballots. If changes have to be made in the protocol of voting returns as a result of additional counting, a new blank form of the protocol shall be completed and the necessary changes shall be made in its oversize version. The protocol of voting returns completed earlier shall be attached to the first copy of the protocol of voting returns of a precinct election commission.

23. After the counting is completed the ballots shall be packed in separate bundles according to the registered candidates for which votes were cast in the ballots. Separate bundles shall contain ballots in which votes were cast against all candidates and invalidated and cancelled ballots. Each bundle shall be marked to indicate the quantity of ballots in the bundle, the name of the registered candidate marked in these ballots or shall be marked "Invalidated ballots," "Against all candidates." The ballots packed as above shall be placed in bags or boxes which shall be marked to indicate the number of the electoral precinct, the number of ballots. The bags or boxes shall be sealed and may be opened only by the decision of a higher-level election commission or a court. Voting and non-voting members of a precinct election commission may put their signatures on these bags or boxes.

24. The protocol of voting returns shall be completed in three copies and shall be signed by all present voting members of a precinct election commission.

25. If some voting members of a precinct election commission are absent when the protocol of voting returns is completed, a note to this effect shall be made in the protocol indicating the reason for their absence. The protocol shall be valid if it is signed by the majority of the established number of voting members of a precinct election commission.

26. The protocol of voting returns shall not be completed with a pencil and no changes shall be made therein. At the signing of the protocol voting members of a precinct election commission who dissent from the contents of the protocol may attach their dissenting opinion to the protocol and a note to this effect shall be made in the protocol.

27. Upon the request of any member of a precinct election commission and persons indicated in Clause 5 of Article 21 this Federal Law, immediately after the protocol of voting returns (including a redrafted protocol) is signed the precinct election commission shall provide a copy of the protocol of voting returns to these persons or allow them to copy the protocol and shall certify the copy.

28. After the protocol of voting returns was signed by all present voting members of the precinct election commission and after its copies were, on their request, issued to or certified for all persons present at vote counting from among persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law the first copy of the protocol of voting returns of the precinct election commission shall be, without delay, forwarded to the territorial commission and shall not be returned to the precinct election commission. Precinct election commissions formed outside the territory of the Russian Federation shall forward the first copy of the protocol of voting returns together with attached documents directly to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Attached to the first copy of the protocol of voting returns shall be dissenting opinions of voting members of a precinct election commission, complaints (statements) about violations of this Federal Law received by the precinct election commission, decisions taken by the precinct election commission on these complaints (statements) as well as the commission's acts, records and journals. The certified copies of these documents and decisions of a precinct election commission shall be attached to the second copies of the protocol.

29. The second copy of the protocol of voting returns together with the electoral documentation provided for by this Federal Law, including sealed ballots and lists of non-voting members of a precinct election commission, persons indicated in Clause 5 of Article 21 of this Federal Law who were present at the tabulation of voting returns and compilation of the protocol, as well as the seal of a precinct election commission shall be kept by the secretary of the precinct election commission under a seal in a guarded room until the commission finishes its work. The electoral documentation including sealed ballots shall be handed over to the territorial commissions not later than five days after official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

30. The third copy of the protocol shall be shown to persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law and then shall be posted for examination by general public in a place designated by a precinct election commission. Five days after voting day the third copy of the protocol shall be handed over to the territorial election commission.

31. If the necessary technical equipment is available, subject to a decision of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation and approval by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation of the use of technical devices (including ballot scanners) for counting votes, territorial election commissions shall determine electoral precincts where such technical devices may be used. The voting returns tabulated with the aid of the said technical devices shall be regarded as preliminary information which has no legal force.

32. When technical devices are used for vote counting, no vote counting data shall be disclosed until the end of voting at the voting premises, with the exception of the data concerning voter turnout.

33. If the necessary equipment is available, immediately after the protocol of voting returns is signed by the members of a precinct election commission formed in electoral precincts on a ship at sea, at a polar station, in a remote or hard-to-reach area or outside the territory of the Russian Federation the data of the protocol shall be transmitted via technical communication channels to the higher-level election commission. It is mandatory that subsequently, at the earliest opportunity, the first copy of the protocol of voting returns and all electoral documentation, including ballots, be handed over to the higher-level election commission directly or through diplomatic and consular missions of the Russian Federation abroad or by some other means ensuring preservation of the electoral documentation and its proper delivery.

34. The procedure for using a technical system for transmission of information concerning the election, the manner and time of transmission, processing and utilization of this information, including the data of the protocols of voting returns transmitted over technical communication channels, shall be decided by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

35. If, after the protocol of voting returns was signed and its first copy was delivered to the territorial election commission, a precinct election commission which had drawn up the protocol detects inaccuracies therein (a slip of the pen, a misprint or an error in data summation) it shall call a meeting to consider the question of making corrections in the protocol. In its announcement about this meeting to be made in accordance with Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law the precinct election commission shall state that it is going to consider this matter at the meeting. The decision taken by the precinct election commission shall be made known by the commission to its non-voting members, observers and other persons who were present when the previously approved protocol was drawn up as well as to media representatives. In this case, the precinct election commission shall draw up a protocol of voting returns marked with the word "Corrected." This protocol shall be promptly forwarded to the territorial election commission. The protocol of voting returns submitted to a territorial election commission earlier shall be attached to the corrected protocol.

Article 70. Tabulation of Voting Returns by a Territorial Election Commission

1. Based on the data of the protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions, including the data transmitted via technical communication channels from precinct election commissions formed in electoral precincts on ships at sea, at polar stations, in remote and hard-to-reach areas or outside the territory of the Russian Federation a territorial election commission, after making sure that the protocols are drawn up correctly, shall, not later than two days after voting day, tabulate the voting returns for the given territory by summing up all data contained in the protocols. The data of the protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions shall be summed up directly by the voting members of a territorial election commission. This may be observed by the persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law.

2. On the basis of the voting returns, a territorial election commission shall draw up a protocol of voting returns for the given territory indicating:

(a) the number of precinct election commissions in the given territory;

(b) the number of protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions on the basis of which the protocol of a territorial election commission is drawn up;

(c) the summarized data for all lines of protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions established by Clauses 2 and 3 Article 68 of this Federal Law.

3. The protocol of voting returns of a territorial election commission shall be made in triplicate and signed by all present voting members of the territorial election commission. The following documents shall be attached to each copy of the protocol:

(a) the summary table of voting returns for the given territory, including the complete data of all protocols of voting returns received from the precinct election commissions;

(b) the records and acts certifying receipt of ballots by the territorial election commission, transfer of ballots to precinct election commissions, cancellation of unused ballots kept by the territorial election commission, with the indication of the number of such ballots;

(c) the records certifying issuance of absentee certificates to voters by the territorial election commission, transfer of absentee certificates to precinct election commissions and, in the event of the repeat voting, cancellation of unused absentee certificates, with the indication of the number of such certificates.

4. The summary tables, the records and acts shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of a territorial election commission. Any voting member of a territorial election commission who does not agree with the protocol in full or with certain provisions thereof shall be entitled to attach his/her dissenting opinion to the protocol and, in that case, a note to this effect shall be made in the protocol.

5. Dissenting opinions of members of a territorial election commission, complaints (statements) about violations of this Federal Law received by the territorial election commission as well as decisions of the territorial election commission taken thereon shall be attached to the first copy of the protocol. Certified copies of dissenting opinions, complaints (statements) and decisions of the territorial election commission shall be attached to the second copy of the protocol.

6. Once signed by all voting members of a territorial election commission present, the first copy of the protocol of voting returns of the territorial election commission along with the protocols of precinct election commissions and the first copy of the summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article shall be, without delay, forwarded to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation and shall not be returned to the territorial election commission.

7. The second copy of the protocol of voting returns of a territorial election commission along with the second copy of the summary table of voting returns and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article and the lists of non-voting members of the election commission and persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law, who were present when the voting returns were tabulated and the protocol was drawn up, shall be kept by the secretary of the territorial election commission in a guarded room until the commission finishes its work or, if the territorial commission works on a permanent basis, until these documents are handed over to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation after official publication of the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

8. The third copy of the protocol of voting returns of a territorial election commission along with the third copy of the summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article shall be given for examination and copying to members of the territorial election commission and non-voting members of higher-level election commissions, persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law. Then the third copy of the protocol shall be displayed for general observation at the place to be designated by a territorial election commission. Five days after voting day the third copy of the protocol, summary table of voting returns shall be transferred to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

9. If, after the protocol of voting returns of a territorial election commission and/or the summary table was/were signed and their first copies were sent to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, the territorial election commission which had drawn up the protocol, summary table finds an inaccuracy (including a slip of the pen, a misprint, an error in the summation of the data of protocols of precinct election commissions), it shall call a meeting to consider the question of correcting the protocol and/or the summary table. In its announcement about this meeting to be made in accordance with Clause 2, Article 21 of this Federal Law the territorial election commission shall indicate that it is going to consider this matter. It shall be mandatory that the territorial commission make its decision known to its non-voting members, observers and other persons who were present when the previously approved protocol was drawn up as well as to media representatives. In this case, the territorial election commission shall draw up a protocol of voting returns ad/or summary table and mark it with the word "Corrected." This protocol and/or summary table shall be, without delay, forwarded to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

10. Upon detection of errors, inconsistencies in the protocol of voting returns and when doubts arise as to the correctness of a protocol received from a precinct election commission a territorial election commission may resolve that a precinct election commission carry out vote recounting or that the given territorial commission itself recount the votes cast by voters in the given electoral precinct.

11. Votes shall be recounted in the presence of a voting member (members) of the territorial election commission by the election commission which drew up and approved the protocol being verified or by the commission that resolved that votes be recounted. The election commission which is to recount votes shall inform about the recounting the members of the given precinct election commission, registered candidates or their agents, persons indicated in Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law, who are entitled to be present at vote recounting. On the basis of the results of vote recounting the election commission which carried out the recounting shall draw up a protocol of voting returns and mark it with the words "Votes recounted." If the protocol is drawn up by a precinct election commission, it shall be immediately forwarded to the territorial election commission. The protocol of voting returns submitted by the precinct election commission earlier shall be attached to this protocol.

Article 71. Tabulation of Voting Returns by the Election Commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation

1. Based on the data of the first copies of the protocols of voting returns of the territorial election commissions the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, after making sure that the protocols are drawn up correctly, shall, not later than four days after voting day, tabulate the voting returns for the given Subject of the Russian Federation by summing up the data contained in the protocols. The data contained in the protocols of voting returns of the territorial election commissions shall be summed up directly by the voting members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

2. On the basis of the protocols of voting returns of the territorial election commissions the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall draw up a protocol of voting returns in the territory of the given Subject of the Russian Federation indicating:

(a) the number of territorial election commissions in the territory of the Subject of the Russian Federation;

(b) the number of the protocols of voting returns received from the territorial election commissions, on the basis of which the given protocol of voting returns is drawn up;

3. The protocol of voting returns of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall be made in triplicate and signed by all present voting members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, indicating the date and time (hour and minutes) when the protocol was drawn up. The following documents shall be attached to each copy protocol:

(a) the summary table of voting returns, including the complete data of all protocols of voting returns received from the territorial election commissions;

(b) the records and acts certifying receipt of ballots by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, transfer of the ballots to the territorial and precinct election commissions, cancellation of unused ballots kept by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, with the indication of the number of such ballots;

(c) the records certifying issuance of absentee certificates to territorial election commissions and, in the event of the repeat voting, cancellation of unused absentee certificates, with the indication of the number of such certificates.

4. The summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article shall be signed by the chairman and the secretary of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. Any voting member of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation who does not agree with the protocol of voting returns in full or with certain provisions thereof shall be entitled to attach his/her dissenting opinion to the protocol and, in that case, a note to this effect shall be made in the protocol.

5. Dissenting opinions of members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, complaints (statements) about violations of this Federal Law received by this election commission as well as its decisions taken thereon shall be attached to the first copy of the protocol. Certified copies of dissenting opinions, complaints (statements) and decisions of this election commission shall be attached to the second copy of the protocol.

6. Once signed the first copy of the protocol of voting returns of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation, the first copies of the summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article shall be, without delay, forwarded to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and shall not be returned to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

7. The second copy of the protocol of voting returns of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation along with the second copies of the summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article, the lists of non-voting members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation and persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law, who were present when the voting returns were tabulated and the protocol was drawn up, the protocols of the territorial and precinct election commissions and other documentation provided for by this Federal Law shall be kept by the secretary of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation.

8. The third copy of the protocol of voting returns of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation along with the third copies of the summary table and the records and acts indicated in Clause 3 of this Article shall be given for examination and copying to members of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation and non-voting members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, persons indicated in Clause 5 Article 21 of this Federal Law. and shall be posted for general observation at the place to be designated by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation

9. If, after the protocol of voting returns of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation and/or the summary table was/were signed and their first copies were sent to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation which had drawn up the protocol, summary table finds an inaccuracy (including a slip of the pen, a misprint, an error in the summation of the data of protocols of territorial election commissions), the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall call a meeting to consider the question of correcting the protocol and/or the summary table. In its announcement about this meeting to be made in accordance with Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall indicate that it is going to consider this matter. It shall be mandatory that the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation make its decision known to its non-voting members, observers and other persons who were present when the previously approved protocol was drawn up as well as to media representatives. In this case, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall draw up a protocol of voting returns and/or a summary table and mark it with the word "Corrected." This protocol and/or summary table shall be, without delay, forwarded to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The protocol and/or summary table submitted to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation earlier shall be attached to the corrected protocol and/or corrected summary table.

10. Upon detection of errors, inconsistencies in the protocols of voting returns and when doubts arise as to the correctness of protocols received from the lower-level election commissions the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation may resolve that the votes cast by voters in the given electoral precinct, territory be recounted.

11. In the case indicated in Clause 10 of this Article votes shall be recounted in the presence of a voting member (members) of the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation by the election commission which drew up and approved the protocol being verified or by a higher-level territorial election commission, election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. The election commission which is to recount votes shall inform about the recounting the members of the given election commission, registered candidates or their agents, persons indicated in Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law, who are entitled to be present at vote recounting. On the basis of the results of vote recounting the election commission which carried out the recounting shall draw up a protocol of voting returns and mark it with the words "Votes recounted." If this protocol was drawn up by a lower-level election commission, it shall be immediately forwarded to the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation. The protocol of voting returns submitted by a precinct, territorial election commission earlier shall be attached to the protocol drawn up on the basis of vote recounting.

Article 72. Determination of the Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. Based of the data contained in the protocols of voting returns of the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and the protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions formed in electoral precincts located outside the territory of the Russian Federation, including the data transmitted over the technical communication channels from the said precinct election commissions, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation after making sure that the protocols are drawn up correctly shall sum up the data of the protocols and determine the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation within ten days of voting day. The data of the protocols of election commissions shall be summed up directly by the voting members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. The results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be recorded by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in a protocol which shall contain the following data:

(a) the number of the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation;

(b) the number of precinct election commissions formed in electoral precincts which are located outside the territory of the Russian Federation;

(c) the number of the protocols of the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation, on the basis of which the given protocol was drawn up;

(d) the number of the protocols of voting returns of precinct election commissions formed in electoral precincts which are located outside the territory of the Russian Federation, on the basis of which the given protocol was drawn up;

(e) the summarized data for the Russian Federation for all lines of the protocols of voting returns of the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and the precinct election commissions formed in electoral precincts which are located outside the territory of the Russian Federation;

(f) the first, middle and last name of the registered candidates put on the ballot, and, if they coincide, other data of the registered candidates;

(g) the number of votes cast for each registered candidate;

(h) the number of votes cast against all registered candidates.

3. A registered candidate shall be deemed elected if he/she received more than a half of the votes cast by voters who took part in the voting. The number of voters who took part in the voting shall be determined from the number of standard ballots found in the ballot boxes.

4. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall declare the election of the President of the Russian Federation to have not taken place if:

(a) less than a half of the voters included in the voters lists took part in the election by the end of the voting time (the number of voters who took part in the voting shall be determined by summing up the numbers in lines 3, 5 and 6 of the protocol of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation);

(b) the number of votes cast for the registered candidate who polled the largest number of votes in relation to the other registered candidate (other candidates) is less than the number of votes cast against all candidates.

5. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall declare the election of the President of the Russian Federation null and void:

(a) if violations committed during the voting or tabulation of voting returns do not allow the results of the expression of the voters will to be reliably determined;

(b) if the number of electoral precincts where the voting returns were declared null and void is not less than one-fourth of the total number of electoral precincts;

6. The election of the President of the Russian Federation shall not be declared null and void because of violations of this Federal Law which are conducive to the election of registered candidates who have not been elected according to voting returns and have not received a sufficient number of votes to participate in the repeat voting, or violations which aimed to encourage or encouraged voters to vote for registered candidates who have not been elected according to voting returns and have not received a sufficient number of votes to participate in the repeat voting.

7. The protocol of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be drawn up by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and signed by all present voting members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Attached to the protocol shall be the summary table including the complete data of all protocols of voting returns received from the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and the protocols of voting returns received from the precinct election commissions formed in the electoral precincts which are located outside the territory of the Russian Federation.

8. Any voting member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation who does not agree with the protocol of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in full or with certain provisions thereof shall be entitled to attach his/her dissenting opinion to the protocol and a note to this effect shall be made in the protocol. Complaints (statements) about violations of this Federal Law received by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and the decisions taken thereon shall also be attached to the protocol.

9. Certified copies of the protocol of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and of the summary table shall be circulated to all members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, persons indicated in Clause 1 Article 21 of this Federal Law, media representatives who were present when the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation were determined.

10. If, after the protocol of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation and/or the summary table was/were signed, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation finds an inaccuracy in these documents (including a slip of the pen, a misprint, an error in the summation of the data of the protocols of lower-level election commissions), the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall call a meeting to consider the question of correcting the protocol and/or the summary table. In its announcement about this meeting to be made in accordance with Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall indicate that it is going to consider this matter at the meeting. The decision taken by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be made known by the commission to its non-voting members, other persons who were present when the previously approved protocol was drawn up as well as to media representatives.

11. Upon detection of errors, inconsistencies in the protocols of voting returns and when doubts arise as to the correctness of the protocols received from the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may resolve that votes cast in the corresponding electoral precinct, territory, Subject of the Russian Federation be recounted.

12. In the case indicated in Clause 11 of this Article votes shall be recounted in the presence of a voting member (members) of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation by the election commission which drew up and approved the protocol of voting returns to be verified or by a higher-level election commission or by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. The election commission which is to recount votes shall inform about the recounting the members of the given election commission, registered candidates or their agents, other persons indicated in Clause 2 Article 21 of this Federal Law, who are entitled to be present at vote recounting. On the basis of the results of vote recounting the election commission which carried out the recounting shall draw up a protocol of voting returns marked with the words "Votes recounted." The protocol of voting returns submitted earlier shall be attached to the protocol drawn up on the basis of vote recounting.

Article 73. Repeat Voting in the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. If more than two registered candidates were put on a ballot and none of them was elected President of the Russian Federation according to the results of the general election, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall declare the repeat voting in the election of the President of the Russian Federation on the two candidates who polled the maximum number of votes.

2. The repeat voting shall be held 21 days after voting day in the general election in compliance with the requirements of this Federal Law, save the requirement set forth in Clause 3 and Sub-clause "a" Clause 4 Article 72 of this Federal Law. An announcement about the repeat voting shall be published in the mass media not later than two days after the corresponding decision was taken by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

3. If, prior to the repeat voting, one of the registered candidates on whom the repeat voting is to be held withdrew his/her candidature, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall, by its decision, recognize as a second candidate for the repeat voting the registered candidate who polled the maximum number of votes in the general election after the candidates for whom the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation initially declared the repeat voting. In this case, the repeat voting shall be held on the first Sunday upon the elapse of 14 days from the day on which an application was submitted according to Clause 2 Article 43 of this Federal Law.

4. According to the results of the repeat voting that registered candidate shall be deemed to have been elected to the office of President of the Russian Federation who received more votes cast by voters who took part in the voting than the other registered candidate, provided that the number of votes cast for the registered candidate who received more votes is larger than the number of votes cast against all candidates.

5. The repeat voting may be held on one candidature if only one registered candidate remains after withdrawal of registered candidates. In this case, the registered candidate shall be deemed to have been elected to the office of President of the Russian Federation if he/she receives not less than 50 percent of votes cast by voters who took part in the voting.

Article 74. Repeat Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. If the election of the President of the Russian Federation was declared to have not taken place or null and void or if, as of the day of the repeat voting, both registered candidates on whom the repeat voting was declared withdrew their candidatures or if neither registered candidate was elected to the office of President of the Russian Federation as a result of the repeat voting, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation shall call the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation.

2. Voting in the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be held not later than four months after the day of the initial election or not later than three months after the day on which the election was declared to have not taken place or null and void.

3. Nomination and registration of candidates, other electoral actions connected with the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be carried out in a procedure established by this Federal Law. In the event of the repeat election the periods for the performance of electoral actions established by this Federal Law may be reduced by a decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, but by not more than one-third. The announcement about the repeat election shall be published in the mass media not later than five days after the corresponding decision is taken.

4. In the event of the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation candidates whose actions (inaction) served as a reason for declaring the general election or the election in the repeat voting null and void shall not be eligible for repeated nomination.

5. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may decree that the powers of territorial and precinct election commissions be extended or new territorial and precinct election commissions be formed for the repeat election in a procedure established by Article 14 of this Federal Law.

Article 75. Publication of the Voting Returns and the Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. Voting returns for each electoral precinct, each territory, each Subject of the Russian Federation, the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation within the scope of the data contained in the protocols of any election commission and election commissions of the next lower level shall be made available for examination to all voters, registered candidates and their authorized representatives for financial matters and agents, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative voters' groups, observers, foreign (international) observers, media representatives on their request immediately after the protocols of voting returns, election results were signed by the election commission from which this data was requested. The said data shall be provided by the appropriate election commission.

2. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall release the general data on the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation to the mass media within one day after the election results were determined.

3. The election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall, within two weeks after voting day, officially publish the data contained in the protocols of voting returns of all territorial and precinct election commissions in regional state-run periodicals. Subject to official publication shall be all data contained in the protocols of each precinct election commission. If vote recounting was carried out in some electoral precincts, territories and the results of the recounting were received by the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation past this deadline, the election commission of the Subject of the Russian Federation shall officially publish the corrected data within a week after this data was accepted on the basis of a corresponding decision.

4. The results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation as well as the data on the number of votes received by each registered candidate, the number of votes cast against all candidates shall be officially published by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in the mass media not later than three days after it signs the protocol of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation . Within three weeks of voting day, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall officially publish the complete data of the protocols of voting returns of all election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation in its official bulletin.

5. Within two months of voting day, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall publish the information about the voting returns and the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation in its official bulletin, including complete data of the protocols of voting returns and election results of all election commissions with the exception of precinct commissions.

Article 76. Use of the State Automated Information System

1. The state automated information system or its separate technical facilities may be used in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, specifically, in the registration of voters, compilation of voters lists, tabulation of voting returns and determination of election results for prompt reception, transmission and processing of information. The requirements to the state automated information system and the rules for its use shall be established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

2. If the appropriate equipment is available, immediately after the protocol of voting returns is signed its data shall be transmitted in an electronic form to the higher-level election commission via technical communication channels of the state automated information system, with mandatory subsequent submission of the first copy of the protocol of voting returns, protocol of election results to the higher-level election commission.

3. If the state automated information system or some of its technical facilities are to be used in the election, the election commission shall, by its decision, form a supervisory group consisting of voting and non-voting members of the commission to supervise the use of the state automated information system or its separate technical facilities. This supervisory group shall check the operational readiness of the system facilities; exercise control over proper entry of data from the protocols of the election commission, over proper re-entry or correction of entered data subject to a decision of the election commission; monitor compliance with the requirements of this Federal Law, instructions and other documents of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation concerning the use of the state automated information system, including ballot scanners or other technical facilities for vote counting; check documentation of the actions prescribed by the rules and plans of the election commission (entries in the journal, records, acts, computer printouts certified by the signatures of the supervisory group members). The supervisory group may engage specialists in the field of automated data processing systems.

4. All members of the election commission, observers shall have the right to examine any information entered into and retrieved from the state automated information system.

5. Voting and non-voting members of the election commission who are included in the supervisory group shall have the same rights, such as the right to examine any information transmitted to the given election commission via technical communication channels; inspect the technical documentation of the state automated information system; require explanations of their actions from the operating personnel of the state automated information system; compare the results of the manual and automated data processing; receive the data of the protocols of voting returns, election results and the corresponding summary tables recorded on machine readable carriers provided by them. If any irregularities or unlawful actions are discovered on the part of the operating personnel of this system or observers, the supervisory group shall inform about such irregularities and actions the chairman of the election commission and shall make proposals aimed at their correction. The results of inspections carried out by the supervisory group shall be recorded in the documents of the information center (service) of the given election commission.

6. From the beginning of voting and up to the time when the election commission signs the protocol of voting returns the state automated information system in which the data are transmitted form lower-level election commissions to higher-level election commissions shall be used for monitoring the progress and results of voting. During this period transmission of any data from the information centers, services of higher-level election commissions to the information centers, services of lower-level election commissions shall not be allowed, except for the signals acknowledging receipt of information.

7. The data on the progress of voting and its results received through the state automated information system shall be regarded as preliminary information of no legal significance.

8. The available computer printout containing the data entered into the state automated information system shall be attached to the protocol of the election commission kept by the secretary of the election commission. The authenticity of the data contained in the computer printout shall be certified by the signatures of members of the supervisory group and the person responsible for data entry.

9. The data on the voter turnout in the election of the President of the Russian Federation, preliminary and final voting returns entered into the state automated information system shall be readily accessible (in the "read only" mode) to the users of the public information-communication networks in a procedure established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

Article 77. Safekeeping of Electoral Documentation

1. Documents of precinct election commissions (including ballots) and territorial election commissions shall be kept in guarded rooms and shall be handed over to election commissions of the next higher level not later than the date on which the powers of the precinct, territorial election commissions expire.

2. Documents of the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation together with the documents which have been transferred to them for safekeeping from lower-level election commissions shall be kept by these commissions for periods established by Russian Federation law.

3. The safekeeping period for ballots, absentee certificates, detachable coupons of absentee certificates, voters lists shall be not less than one year after the day of official publication of the election results, for protocols of voting returns, election results and summary tables of election commissions - not less than one year after the day on which the decision to call (hold) the next main election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published. Financial reports of election commissions, final financial reports of registered candidates shall be kept for not less than one year after the day on which the decision to call the next main election of the President of the Russian Federation was officially published.

4. Ballots, absentee certificates, detachable coupons of absentee certificates, voters lists , protocols of voting returns, election results of election commissions and the documents attached thereto, summary tables, financial reports of election commissions, final financial reports of registered candidates shall be documents of strict accountability. The chairman (deputy chairman) and the secretary of an election commission shall be responsible for the preservation of electoral documentation until the documentation is handed over to the higher-level election commission or to the archives.

Chapter X. INAUGURATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Article 78. Inauguration of the President of the Russian Federation

The President of the Russian Federation elected in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and this Federal Law shall be inaugurated upon the elapse of four years since the day of the inauguration of the President of the Russian Federation elected in the previous election or, in the event of the early election or if the repeat election of the President of the Russian Federation was declared before the last day of the four-year period elapsing from the day of the inauguration of the President of the Russian Federation elected in the previous election,. on the thirtieth day after the day on which the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation officially publishes the general results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation.

Chapter XI. COMPLAINTS ABOUT VIOLATIONS OF ELECTORAL RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITY FOR VIOLATION OF ELECTORAL RIGHTS OF CITIZENS

Article 79. Appealing Decisions and Actions (Inaction) Which Violate Electoral Rights of Citizens

1. Decisions and actions (inaction) which violate electoral rights of citizens may be appealed by voters, candidates, registered candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs, other public associations, agents of registered candidates, observers and election commissions. If the violations indicated in the appeal (appeals) affect a large number of citizens or if the violation has assumed a special public significance owing to some other circumstances, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may apply to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which shall be obliged to consider the appeal on its merits.

2. Decisions and actions (inaction) of bodies of state power, bodies of local self-government, public associations and officials as well as decisions and actions (inaction) of electoral commissions and their officials which violate electoral rights of citizens of the Russian Federation may be appealed in a court.

3. Decisions and actions (inaction) of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and its officials shall be appealed in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation; decisions and actions (inaction) of election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation and their officials shall be appealed in the court of the Subject of the Russian Federation; decisions and actions (inaction) of other election commissions shall be appealed in raion courts.

4. In cases provided by this Federal Law a court may reverse the decision of an election commission concerning voting returns and election results, other decisions of an election commission.

5. If a decision of an election commission was reversed by a court, a new decision on the substance of the matter shall be taken on the basis of the court decision by the election commission whose decision was reversed or by a higher-level election commission. Court decisions shall be binding on the election commissions concerned.

6. Consideration by a court of an appeal against the decision of an election commission concerning voting returns, election results as well as investigation of the facts relating to violation of this Federal Law shall not be regarded as breach of immunity of the registered candidate who was declared elected in accordance with Russian Federation law. The registered candidate declared elected shall not refuse to testify in an administrative, civil or criminal case initiated in connection with a complaint about violation of electoral rights of citizens committed in the course of his/her election.

7. Decisions and actions (inaction) of election commissions and their officials violating electoral rights of citizens may be appealed in a higher-level election commission.

8. When examining cases of refusal of registration of a candidate, annulment of registration of a registered candidate or when considering a motion to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for declaring the election of a registered candidate null and void the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be entitled to require and receive documents and other materials and hear explanations of officials and citizens.

9. A higher-level election commission shall be entitled to reverse the decision of a lower-level election commission and order it to consider the matter again or take a decision on the substance of the complaint.

10. Preliminary application to a higher-level election commission shall not be an obligatory condition for application to a court.

11. If a complaint was accepted for adjudication by a court and a similar complaint was filed by the complainants with an election commission, the given election commission shall suspend adjudication of the complaint until the court decision comes into legal force. The court shall inform the election commission about the receipt of the complaint and about the entry into legal force of the court decision taken upon its adjudication.

12. Decisions in respect of complaints received in the course of an election campaign shall be taken within five days but not later than a day preceding voting day or, on voting day or the next day, immediately. If the facts mentioned in complaints require additional verification, decisions in respect of such complaints shall be taken within ten days. Appeals against a decision of an election commission concerning voting results, election results shall be adjudicated by a court within two months from the day on which the appeal was filed.

13. The courts and prosecutor's offices shall organize their work (including on days-off) so as to ensure prompt adjudication of complaints within the periods prescribed by this Federal Law.

Article 80. Grounds for Refusal to Register a Candidate and for Annulment of the Decision to Register a Candidate

1. If a candidate, registered candidate violates this Federal Law, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be entitled to make a warning to this candidate, registered candidates and this warning shall be made known to voters through the mass media or by some other means. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may refuse to register a candidate, annul registration of a registered candidate, annul the decision on voting returns, election results even if such a warning was not made.

2. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may refuse to register a candidate if:

(a) it has been established that the information submitted by a candidate, an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters' group in accordance with this Federal Law is not accurate and its inaccuracy is essential;

(b) it has been established that a candidate carried out election campaigning before his/her registration;

(c) it has been established that voters were bribed i.e., a candidate, his/her authorized representative for financial matters, an electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters' group which nominated a candidate, committed an act prohibited by Clause 2 Article 53 of this Federal Law;

(d) there were gross or repeated violations of the rules prohibiting the governing bodies of enterprises of all forms of ownership from taking part in the organization of signature collection and the rules banning coercion in the course of signature collection, solicitation of voter signatures for any form of remuneration, collection of signatures where and when wages are paid, receipt of other monetary payments;

(e) when financing his/her election campaign, a candidate used money to finance his/her election campaign from sources other than his/her electoral fund in the amount exceeding 1 percent of the maximum limit established by this Federal Law for expenditures from a candidate's electoral fund;

(f) a candidate exceeded expenditures from the electoral fund by more than 1 percent of the maximum limit of expenditures from a candidate's electoral fund established by this Federal Law;

(g) in the course of the election campaign a candidate, his/her authorized representative for financial matters an electoral association, electoral bloc (including an electoral association which joined the electoral bloc), initiative voters' group which nominated a candidate and their authorized representatives, an organization whose founders, owners, possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the aforementioned persons and/or organizations (representatives of these organizations) carried on charity activities in the territory of the Russian Federation, asked other natural persons and legal entities to provide material and financial aid or services to voters, consented to the provision of such aid or services by natural persons or legal entities on their behalf;

(h) a candidate did not file his/her first financial report;

(i) a candidate took advantage of his/her official position or status;

(l) there are other grounds established by this Federal Law.

3. Registration of a candidate may be annulled by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or a court not later than a day preceding voting day if:

(a) a violation of this Federal Law indicated in Clause 2 of this Article was discovered after registration of the candidate;

(b) a registered candidate, his/her authorized representative or agent, an authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc, initiative voters' group which nominated the registered candidate conducted propaganda in the territory of a military unit, in a military organization or institution;

(c) a registered candidate or his/her agent produced and/or disseminated printed, audio-visual election propaganda materials in violation of Clauses 3, 4, 5 and 9 Article 52 of this Federal Law;

(d) in the course of the election campaign a registered candidate, his/her authorized representative for financial matters or agent, an electoral association, electoral bloc (including an electoral association which joined the electoral bloc), initiative voters' group which nominated a registered candidate, their authorized representative, an organization whose founders, owners, possessors are and/or whose governing or supervisory bodies include the aforementioned persons and/or organizations (representatives of these organizations) carried on charity activities in the territory of the Russian Federation, asked other natural persons and legal entities to provide material and financial aid or services to voters, consented to the provision of such aid or services by natural persons or legal entities on their behalf;

(e) a registered candidate took advantage of his/her official position or status;

(f) a registered candidate did not file the financial report in due time;

(g) a registered candidate who is on government or municipal service or who works in the mass media under a labor or a civil-law contract did not suspend the performance of official duties for the period of his/her participation in the election;

(h) a fact of bribery of voters has been established, i.e., a registered candidate, his/her authorized representative for financial matters or agent committed an act prohibited by Clause 2 Article 53 of this Federal Law or that this act was committed by some other person on their request;

(i) when financing his/her election campaign a registered candidate used money to finance his/her election campaign from sources other than his/her electoral fund in the amount exceeding 1 percent of the maximum limit of expenditures from a candidate's electoral fund established by this Federal Law;

(j) a registered candidate exceeded the expenditures from the electoral fund by more than 1 percent of the maximum limit established by this Federal Law for expenditures from the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate;

(k) a registered candidate used unlawful donations contributed to his/her electoral fund in an amount exceeding 1 percent of the maximum limit established by this Federal Law for expenditures from the electoral fund of a candidate, registered candidate.

4. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation shall be entitled to refuse to register a candidate, ask a court to annul registration of a candidate if the candidate, registered candidate has misused the freedom of mass information. Having established the fact of misuse of freedom of information the court shall annul registration of the candidate.

Article 81. Grounds for Annulment of the Decision of an Election Commission On Voting Returns, Results of the Election of the President of the Russian Federation

1. If a registered candidate has committed violations indicated in Article 80 of this Federal Law but the violations were discovered after official publication of the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may ask the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to declare election of the candidate null and void.

2. The decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation may be annulled by a court if the court establishes that the violations indicated in Article 80 of this Federal Law have taken place and this does not make it possible reliably to establish the results of the expression of the voters' will.

3. A court of an appropriate level may also annul the decision of an election commission on the voting returns and election results in an electoral precinct, territory, the decision of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation if there have been breaches of the rules for compilation of voters lists, procedure for the formation of election commissions, voting and vote counting procedures (including interference with their monitoring), determination of election results, other violations of this Federal Law, if these actions (inaction) do not allow the results of the expression of the voters' will to be reliably determined.

4. A court of an appropriate level, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation may annul the decision of a precinct, territorial, election commission on the voting returns in the corresponding precinct, territory in cases provided by this Federal Law.

5. If voting returns in at least one-fourth of electoral precincts have been voided, the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall be declared null and void.

6. The decision on the results of the election of the President of the Russian Federation shall not be annulled because of violations of this Federal Law which were conducive to the election of registered candidates who have not been elected according to the voting returns or who have not received a sufficient number of votes to take part in the repeat voting, or violations which aimed to encourage or encouraged voters to vote for registered candidates who have not been elected according to the voting returns or who have not received a sufficient number of votes to take part in the repeat voting.

Article 82. Responsibility for Violation of Electoral Rights of Citizens

1. Subject to criminal, administrative or other responsibility under federal laws shall be the persons who:

(a) by coercion, deception, threats, fraud or other methods prevent a citizen of the Russian Federation from freely exercising the right to elect and be elected;

(b) take advantage of their official position or status to gain election;

(c) coerce citizens into or prevent them from putting their signatures in support of a candidate or participate in the forgery of such signatures;

(d) bribe voters, i.e., commit an act prohibited by Clause 2 Article 53 of this Federal Law;

(e) have not gathered and updated information about registered voters (voters lists) in due time;

(f) disseminate patently false information about candidates, registered candidates or do other acts and actions damaging the honor and dignity of candidates, registered candidates;

(g) violate the rights of election commission members, including non-voting members, observers, foreign (international) observers, authorized representatives of candidates, registered candidates, agents of registered candidates, authorized representatives of electoral associations, electoral blocs, initiative voters' groups, media representatives, including the right to receive information and copies of electoral documents in due time and to have the said documents certified;

(h) violate the election campaigning rules, including persons who conduct propaganda on the day preceding voting day and on voting day;

(i) engage in charity activities or produce and distribute commercial and other advertising materials in violation of this Federal Law;

(j) fail to ensure conditions for holding public events when they are obligated to do so by law;

(k) violate the rules of election campaign funding established by this Federal Law;

(l) conceal remaining ballots or produce extra ballots, absentee certificates which are not registered by an election commission;

(m) unlawfully interfere with or obstruct the work of election commissions or the performance by commission members of their duties;

(n) obstruct voting at voting premises;

(o) violate the secrecy of voting;

(p) force voters to vote against their own choice;

(q) forge electoral documents, draw up and issue falsified documents, deliberately falsify vote count or election results, do not present or publish information about voting returns in default of their duties;

(r) violate the rights of citizens to examine voters lists;

(s) issue ballots to citizens to allow them to vote for other persons or vote more than once in the course of the same voting, or issue marked ballots to citizens;

(t) fail to submit or publish reports on the expenditure of funds allocated for the preparation and conduct of the election, financial reports of candidates, registered candidates;

(u) employers refusing to grant a leave of absence envisaged by this Federal Law for participation in the election or performance of civil duties;

(v) officials of state bodies who fail to verify information about violations of this Federal Law, other federal laws when requested to do so by election commissions, and do not take any steps to stop these violations.

2. In accordance with Russian Federation laws on administrative offences a precinct, territorial election commission, the election commission of a Subject of the Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may draw up a protocol to record an administrative offence committed by a candidate, registered candidate, an authorized representative of an electoral association, electoral bloc and by other persons in cases provided by this Federal Law.

Chapter XII. CONCLUDING PROVISIONS

Article 83. Entry into Force of this Federal Law

1. This Federal Law shall enter into force on the day of its official publication.

2. Federal Law "On the Election of the President of the Russian Federation" No. 76-FZ of May 17, 1995 (Collection of Russian Federation Laws, 1995, No. 21, p. 1924) is hereby declared no longer in force.

3. If there is no office of head of a municipal unit in a municipal unit and the municipal unit has no representative body of local self-government or a representative body of local self-government has not appointed a person authorized to perform electoral actions under this Federal Law, such electoral actions shall be performed by the head of the executive body of state power of a Subject of the Russian Federation or by some other official appointed by him/her.

4. The provision of Clause 2 Article 18 of this Federal Law shall not apply to the election commissions of the Subjects of the Russian Federation which were formed before 1 October 1997.

President of the Russian Federation

Annex 1

SIGNATURE SHEET

Election of the President of the Russian Federation

______________________________ , _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

(name of the Subject of the Russian Federation; if signatures of citizens of the Russian Federation are collected outside its territory,

indicate the name of the foreign state)

No. of the registration certificate: __________________________________________________________________

We, the undersigned, support nomination by the initiative voters' group of the Russian Federation citizen _____________________________________ , born _____________ , working as _________________ , residing at _______________________________________ , as candidate for the office of President of the Russian Federation.

No.

First, middle, last name

Year of birth (for the age of 18 years, also the day and month of birth)

Address of the place of residence

Series, number, date of issuance of the passport or equivalent identity paper

Signature

Signing date

I hereby certify the signature list:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(first, middle and last name, address of the place of residence, series, number, date of issuance of the passport or equivalent identity paper of the signature collector, the collector's autograph signature and date)

Authorized representative of the initiative voters' group:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

(first, middle and last name, autograph signature and date)

Note. If a candidate has a conviction that has not expired or has not been cancelled, the signature sheet shall indicate the number (numbers) and the name (names) of the article (articles) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the basis of which the candidate was convicted and the article (articles) of the criminal code adopted in accordance with the Fundamental Criminal Legislation of the USSR and the Union republics, the article (articles) of the law of a foreign state and the name of the law, if the candidate was convicted under these legislative acts for actions qualified as crimes by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If the candidate has Russian Federation and foreign citizenship, the signature sheet shall indicate this fact along with the name of the corresponding foreign state.

Annex 2

SIGNATURE SHEET

Election of the President of the Russian Federation

______________________________ , _______________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

(name of the Subject of the Russian Federation; if signatures of citizens of the Russian Federation are collected outside its territory,

indicate the name of the foreign state)

No. of the registration certificate: ________________________________________________ .

We, the undersigned, support nomination by the electoral association, electoral bloc of the Russian Federation citizen ________________________________, born ____________ , working as ____________________ , residing at ______________________________ , as candidate for the office of President of the Russian Federation.

No.

First, middle, last name

Year of birth (for the age of 18 years, also the day and month of birth)

Address of the place of residence

Series, number, date of issuance of the passport or equivalent identity paper

Signature

Signing date

I hereby certify the signature list:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Authorized representative of the electoral association, electoral bloc:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

(first, middle and last name, autograph signature and date)