Notice of Participation by the Parties Specified in Section 18 subsection (2) of the Federal Elections Act, Rectifying of Faults

(1) The Federal Returning Officer shall record the date of receipt on every notice of participation and immediately examine whether it meets the requirements of the Federal Elections Act. Upon discovery of any fault, he or she shall inform the executive committee of the party forthwith and ask it rectify to any rectifiable faults in good time; in so doing, he or she should point out that, as laid down in Section 18 subsection (3) of the Federal Elections Act,

1. after expiration of the stipulated period of notice, faults may be rectified only in notices which are valid per se,

2. after the decision regarding recognition as a political party, any rectifying of faults is inadmissible,

3. the executive committee may appeal to the Federal Electoral Committee against directives issued by the Federal Returning Officer.

(2) The Federal Returning Officer shall invite the associations which have given notice of their participation in the election to the meeting at which the decision is to be taken on their recognition as political parties for the election. In the invitation he or she shall refer to the fact that decision will be announced at the meeting and to the legal consequences. He or she shall submit the notices of participation to the Federal Electoral Committee and report on the result of the preliminary examination. Prior to a decision being taken, the persons concerned who are present shall be given the opportunity to speak.

(3) After the recognition process specified in Section 18 subsection (4) of the Federal Elections Act has been completed, the Federal Returning Officer shall announce the decision of the Federal Electoral Committee at the meeting, summarizing the reasons. If a party or association is prevented from submitting nominations on account of the decision taken in the recognition process, he or she shall advise them in the announcement that there is the legal remedy of lodging a complaint in accordance with Section 18 sub-section (4a) of the Federal Elections Act, of the time limit applying and the legal consequences of a complaint. The decision shall be made public by the Federal Returning Officer.

(4) The record of the meeting (Section 5 subsection (7)) must be drawn up immediately. The main grounds must be presented in the record. The Federal Returning Officer shall immediately, but not later than on the day following the meeting of the Federal Electoral Committee and by the quickest means available, send to the parties or associations prevented from submitting nominations on account of the decision taken in the recognition process a copy of that part of the record which relates to them, including the notices re-quired pursuant to Subsection (3), second sentence