Beginning of the voting

1. Once the Bureau’s constitution minutes have been written and the corresponding copies made, the polling shall begin at nine o‘clock a.m. and continue without interruption until eight o’clock p.m. The presiding officer is to announce the beginning with the words: ”Let the poll begin” (“Comienza la votación”).

2. Only for reasons of force majeure may the polling be called off, or be suspended if already in progress, under the presiding officer’s responsibility by a written and reasoned decision. The presiding officer shall in any case send a certified copy thereof by registered mail to the Provincial Commission to enable it to ascertain if the motives were true and sufficient and to declare or demand any resulting liabilities.

3. Where the voting has been suspended no account is to be taken of votes cast at the bureau nor shall any counting be conducted. The presiding officer shall immediately cause the ballot papers in the box to be destroyed and mention the fact in the report referred to in the preceding subsection.

4. Notwithstanding subsection 2 of this section, the presiding officer shall interrupt the voting if he becomes aware of the lack of ballot papers of one of the candidates and of the impossibility of replacing them with ballot forms supplied by the respective proxies or controllers. In this case the presiding officer shall inform the District Commission of his decision for the latter to supply the ballot papers. 

Provided that the interruption may not last more than one hour and the voting shall be extended for as long a time as it has been interrupted. Subsection 3 of this shall not apply in this case.

 1. AS AMENDED BY SECT.24 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991, OF MARCH 13