(1) The Minister for Social Welfare shall assign a letter to the parties entitled to nomination to be used for the listing of parties on the ballot papers. In the assignment of letters, such letters that have been carried by the parties in previous elections shall be preserved as far as possible.

(2) Soonest possible after the expiry of the time-limit in section 12(1), the Minister for Social Welfare shall publish the names of the parties entitled to nomination and the letters assigned to these parties in the Official Gazette.