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Article 29
 
Article 29. Status of Commission Members
1. Persons falling into any of the following categories shall not be voting members of commissions:
a) persons that are not citizens of the Russian Federation;
b) citizens of the Russian Federation who have been declared, by a legally effective court decision that has come into legal force, legally incapable or having limited capability;
c) citizens of the Russian Federation under the age of 18 years;
d) deputies of legislative (representative) bodies of state power, bodies of local self-government;
e) elective officials;
f) judges, prosecutors;
g) at relevant elections, candidates, their authorized representatives and agents, authorized representatives and agents of electoral associations, electoral blocs that have nominated candidates;
h) at relevant referendums, members and authorized representatives of referendum initiative groups;
i) at relevant elections, referendums, non-voting members of commissions;
j) at relevant elections, spouses and close relatives of candidates, close relatives of candidates’ spouses;
k) persons directly subordinated to candidates;
l) persons removed from commissions by a court decision;
m) persons who have previous convictions that have not been cancelled or annuledannulled, and persons who have been subjected by court to an administrative penalty for a violation of regulations governing elections and referendums, within one year after of the effective date of the court decision (ruling) on the administrative penalty.
2. Provisions of Ssub-Cclauses g), j), and k) of Clause 1 of this article shall not apply to members of precinct, territorial or district election commissions if the candidate is nominated or registered in another electoral district.
3. Under this Federal Law, direct subordination is construed as service-related or work-related relationship between a superior and a subordinate, whereby the superior has, in relation to the subordinate, powers or managerial authorities, i.e. has the right to employ or dismiss the subordinate or, within his position-related authority, issue to the subordinate binding orders, instructions, or directions, reward the subordinate or subject him to disciplinary penalties.
4. A voting member of a commission shall not, at one and the same election, referendum, be a voting member of another commission.
5. The term of powers of voting members of a commission shall expire at the same time as with the expiration of the powers of the commission of which they are members.
6. A voting member of a commission shall be relieved cease from the duties of to act as a commission’s member by a decision of the same body that appointed him if:
a) the commission member files a written resignation;
b) there emerged grounds referred to in Clauses 1 and 4 of this article, except suspension of a commission member under Clause 7 of this article and instances referred to in Ssub-cClauses a), b), and m), of Clause 1 of this article have arisen.
7. In the event there emergedIf the grounds referred to in Sub-clause j) of Clause 1 of this article have arisen, powers of a voting member of a commission who works on a permanent (staff) basis shall be suspended by a decision of the relevant commission, provided such suspension does not legally disqualifymake the composition of the commission such that it is not competent to exercise its powers the commission. In the event such suspension of a commission member renders the commission disqualifiedIf such suspension of powers makes the composition of the commission such that it is not competent to exercise its powers, powers of such member of the commission member shall be terminated by a decision of the body that appointed him .
8. Powers of a voting member of a commission shall be terminated immediately if:
a) the commission member ceases to be a citizen of the Russian Federation;
b) a guilty verdict of a court against the commission member, or a court ruling subjecting the commission member to an administrative penalty for a violation of laws and regulationsthe legislation governing elections and referendums becomes legally effectivehas come into legal force;
c) a legally effective court ruling declares the commission member is declared by a court decision that has come into legal force legally incapable, having limited legal capability, missing, or dead;
d) the commission member dies;
e) the commission member is declared byon the basis of an application of the relevant commission, a legally effective court decision declares that has come into legal force the commission member systematically fails to perform his dutieson the basis of an application of the relevant commission as systematically ignoring his duties.
9. Powers of a voting member of a commission shall also be terminated in the event of the commission’s dissolution under Article 31 of this Federal Law.
10. In the eventIf the body that appointed a commission member fails to take a decision on early termination of powers of this commission member within one month, and in the period of an election campaign, within ten days from the date of on which receipt by this body of received a written resignation of the commission member or emergence of other grounds preventing him from performing his duties have arisen, the decision to terminate powers of this such commission member shall be taken by the commission of which he is a member within three days from of the expiration date of the above periods.
11. The body that appointed a commission member shall appoint a new commission member in the place of the member withdrawn on the grounds referred to in Clauses 6 and 8 of this article not later than in a month, and in the period of an election campaign, the period from calling a referendum until the end of the referendum campaign, not later than ten days after of the date of his termination withdrawal in accordance with the provisions of Clause 4, Article 21, Articles 22-27 of this Federal Law. In the eventIf this requirement fails to be fulfilled, a new member of the commission shall be appointed by the higher commission in accordance with provisions of this Federal Law.
12. The Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and Secretary of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary of the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation, the chairman of another commission that operates on a permanent basis and is a legal entity shall work for the relevant commission on a permanent (staff) basis. The chairman of the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation shall must have higher education in law or an advanced academic degree in law.
13. Except forBesides the members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation referred to in Clause 12 of this article, voting members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation may work for the commission on a permanent (staff) basis.
14. Except forBesides the commission members referred to in Clause 12 of this article, the possibility of working on a permanent (staff) basis for voting members of the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation, voting members of the a municipality election commission of a municipality, a territorial commission that operate on a permanent basis and are legal entities, and the size and nature of monetary compensation of voting members of the said commissions that work on a permanent (staff) basis, other benefits to these commission members shall be established by laws, other regulatory acts of subjects of the Russian Federation, the charters of municipalities, regulatory acts of bodies of local self-government.
15. A voting member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation who works for this the commission on a permanent (staff) basis, shall occupy a state office of the Russian Federation. A voting member of the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation who works for the commission on a permanent (staff) basis, a voting member of another election commission that operates on a permanent basis and is a legal entity shall occupy, in accordance with a law, another regulatory act of the subject of the Russian Federation, the charter of the a municipality, another regulatory act of the body of local self-government, respectively, a state office of the subject of the Russian Federation, a municipal office. Such persons shall not hold other offices in bodies of state power, state bodies, bodies of local self-government, be involved in business or another paid activity, with the exceptions of teaching, scientific, or other creative activities.
16. Federal bodies of state power, bodies of state power of subjects of the Russian Federation, bodies of local self-government shall adopt take necessary measures to provide financial and social support (including medical, recreational, housing, pension support, and other types of support) of persons listed in Clauses 12-14 of this article. The level of financial support (including the size and nature of monetary compensation, other benefits) and social support of the above persons shall not be lower than the level of financial and social support established for persons filling state offices of category A respectively in a federal executive body of state power, a legislative (representative) or executive body of state power of a subject of the Russian Federation, municipal offices in a representative body of local self-government. The size and nature of monetary compensation and other benefits provided to the said persons shall be established, respectively, by the federal laws and other regulatory acts of the Russian Federation, laws and other regulatory acts of subjects of the Russian Federation, charters of municipalities, and other regulatory acts of bodies of local self-government.
17. A voting member of a commission may be eligible entitled to extra compensation (remuneration) for his work for the commission in the preparation and conduct of an election, a referendum. A voting member of a commission who has been relieved, at the request of the commission, from his main job for the period of the preparation and conduct of an election, a referendum, shall retain his main job (office) and be compensated for the period during which he was relieved from his main job. The size of and the procedure for payment of such compensation and extra compensation (remuneration) shall be established by the commission organizing the respective election, referendum out offrom and within the limits of the funds allocated from budgets for the conduct of such election, referendum.
18. A voting member of a commission shall not be subjected to criminal prosecution, administrative penalties imposed in a court procedurejudicially without consent of the prosecutor of a subject of the Russian Federation, and a voting member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the chairman of the election commission of a subject of the Russian Federation, without consent of the General Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.
19. A voting member of a commission, a non-voting member of a commission member shall not be dismissed from his job on the initiative of his employer or transferred to a different job without his consent respectively before the expiration of his powers and in the period of an election campaign, a referendum campaign.
20. As ofFrom the day of filing documents for registration, a candidate, an electoral association, an electoral bloc that nominated candidates shall be entitled to appoint one non-voting member to of the election commission registering the candidate, a the list of candidates, and each lower election commission. Each electoral association, electoral bloc that nominated a registered candidate shall also be entitled to appoint a non-voting member to of the election commission organizing the relevant election. Elected Elective officials, commanding officers of military units, military organizations or institutions , judges, and prosecutors shall not be appointed non-voting members of election commissions.
21. After the official publication of a decision to call a referendum taken by a duly body authorized to do sobody to call a referendum, the referendum initiative group the and electoral associations (including those that are part of electoral blocs), the lists of candidates of which have been included in the distribution of deputy seats in the legislative (representative) body of state power, the representative body of local self-government in accordance with the level of the referendum, or in a legislative (representative) body of a higher level, shall be entitled to appoint one non-voting member of referendum commission to the relevant and each lower referendum commission one non-voting member of the referendum commission. Elected Elective officials, commanding officers of military units, military organizations or institutions , judges, and prosecutors shall not be appointed non-voting members of referendum commissions.
22. A non-voting commission member member of a commission shall have the same rights as a voting member of a commission, save with the exception to the rights to:
a) issue and sign ballots, absentee certificates;
b) participate in sorting out, counting, and canceling of ballots;
c) compile the protocol of vote returns, the election resultsof an election, a, referendum election;
d) participate in the voting on the matters which are within the scope of competence of the relevant commission, and sign the commission’s decisions.
The provisions contained in this cClause shall not serve a be used as a reason for refusing a non-voting member of a commission the right to be present at the performance of any actions mentioned in this cClause.
23. A voting member of a commission and a non-voting member of a commission member shall:
a) receive timely notices about meetings of the relevant commission;
b) speak at the commission’s meetings, make proposals on issues falling within the scope of competence of the relevant commission, and request that these matters be put to the vote;
c) put questions to other participants in the commission’s meeting in accordance with the agenda, and receive meaningful answers to these questions;
d) inspect documents and materials (including lists of voters, referendum participants, with signature sheets, financial statements of candidates, electoral associations, electoral blocs, ballots) that are directly connected to the election, the referendum, including documents and materials on a machine-readable media, held byof the relevant commission or lower commissions, and receive copies of such documents and materials (with the exception of ballots, absentee certificates, lists of voters, referendum participants, signature sheets, other documents and materials containing confidential information classified as such in accordance with the procedure established by the federal law), and request thathave such copies be certified;
e) make sure that the number of voters who took part in the voting has been calculated correctly according to the voters list and that the ballots have been correctly sorted out in accordance with candidates, political parties, electoral blocs, options of replying to the question of the referendum;
f) appeal actions (omissions) of the commission in the relevant higher commission or a court.
24. The powers of non-voting members of an election commission operating on a permanent basis, who have been appointed by candidates who have been elected the election,by or electoral associations, electoral blocs that nominated the lists of candidates who have been included in the distribution of deputy seats, shall continue until the end of registration of candidates, lists of candidates at the next election to election of the same body or to of the same office. The powers of other non-voting members of a commission operating on a permanent basis shall expire 30 days after the official publication of the results of the election conducted in on the respective territory within the relevant election campaign. Powers of non-voting members of the other election commissions, referendum commissions shall expire at the same time as the powers of such commissions. In the eventIf the registration of a candidate, an electoral association, an electoral bloc (registration of a list of candidates) is refused, or registration of a candidate, a list of candidates nominated by a political party, an electoral bloc is annulled , the powers of non-voting members of the election commission shall cease as of the day of such refusal or annulment of registration of the respective candidate, list of candidates, and In the eventif the decision about the refusal of registration is appealed in a court, as offrom the effective date ofday on which the court ruling decision regarding the lawfulness of the refusal of registration came into legal force.
25. A non-voting commission member shall, within the period of his powers, have the rights granted conferred by this article in relation to the preparation and conduct of all elections and referendums in which this commission is involved.
26. The powers of a non-voting commission member may be terminated by a decision of the person or body that appointed such commission member, and transferred to another person.
27. Elected candidates and electoral associations, electoral blocs the whose lists of candidates nominated by which have been included in the distribution of deputy seats shall, for the period of powers of the deputy, the official, retain the right to appoint non-voting members of election commissions operating on a permanent basis, including the right to appoint replacements to withdrawn members.