53.1. A Candidate may be nominated through self-nomination or by voters with active suffrage rights, provided that a notification on the matter is sent to the relevant election commission within the territory of which the signatures necessary for supporting the Candidate are collected and in which the Candidate is intended to be registered.

53.2. The candidate or the voters’ initiative group that nominates a candidate shall notify the relevant election commission on their initiative in writing. The notification should contain the following information on each initiator and candidate:

• forename, surname, patronymic, birth date;

• address of residence;

• serial and batch number of identification or substitute document; and

• main workplace or official position (type of activity if not working).

53.3. An application containing the written statement of a candidate to terminate activities incompatible with a post in elective government or with municipal bodies should be submitted with the notification mentioned in Article 53.2 of this Code. This application shall contain information on the candidate (surname, forename, patronymic, birth date, address of residence, education, main workplace, and official position or type of activity if not working). if candidates have a pending sentence, which has not been served or cancelled, the name and number of the relevant Article of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan under which they were sentenced should be recorded in their application. if a candidate has committed a criminal offense abroad, which imposes a criminal liability, and has been sentenced by a court decision that has entered into force, and if the same action imposes liability under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the application should contain the title of the relevant law of the foreign country. information on whether a candidate has foreign citizenship or obligations in foreign countries should be included alongside information on the candidate’s citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

53.4. A candidate may include information on his/her party affiliation in the application using a certified document that proves this affiliation. In such circumstances, a candidate should come to an agreement with the relevant election commission on naming his/her political party with a name containing no more than 5 words. if the political party indicated in the application has already excluded the candidate from membership and sent appropriate notification to the relevant election commission on the matter, then the title of the political party may not be used by the candidate.

53.5. in keeping with the requirements of Article 53.4 of this Code, the relevant election commission should inform candidates and voters’ initiative groups on the receipt of submitted documents in writing.

53.6. The relevant election commission shall examine the submitted documents within a 5-day period and submit a decision to the candidate or his/her authorized representative, certifying the nomination from the relevant constituencies. The relevant election commission may not refuse to accept the submitted documents.

53.7. The only bases for refusal of a submitted decision certifying the nomination of a candidate may be:

• if documents mentioned in Articles 53.2 and 53.3 of this Code are not formalized as required; or

• if rules for nomination of candidates defined by this Code are violated. if mistakes/errors in the relevant documentation can be eliminated through corrections made by the candidate, then the relevant election commission shall notify the candidate within the period set forth in Article 53.6 of this Code, and approve the candidate’s nomination after such corrections have been made.