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Article 154
 

Procedure for filling vacancies of Sakrebulo members


1. If the term of office of a Sakrebulo member elected through the proportional system terminates early, his/her successor, the next candidate on the same party list, shall take his/her place in the Sakrebulo within two weeks, provided that the candidate accepts membership in the Sakrebulo within ten days after being notified by the relevant DEC. If no candidate is left in the submitted party list, the seat shall be eliminated.


2. If the Sakrebulo member who last held the vacant seat was elected through the party list of an electoral bloc and the party list specified that the member was a member of one of the parties in the electoral bloc, the next candidate on the same party list for Sakrebulo membership shall replace him/her within two weeks, provided that the candidate accepts membership in the Sakrebulo within ten days after the vacancy occurs. Otherwise, the vacancy shall be filled by the next candidate on the same party list, etc. If the party list did not specify that the Sakrebulo member who last held the vacant seat is a member of one of the parties in the electoral bloc, his/her successor shall be determined under the first paragraph of this article.


3. If the term of office of a Sakrebulo member elected through the majoritarian system terminates early, by-elections shall be held under this Law. Byelections shall be held in the nearest May or October, provided that at least 60 days remain until the end of the respective month. By-elections shall not be held if less than one year remains until expiration of the Sakrebulo term.


4. Not later than the 50th day before Election Day, the CEC shall set the date for by-elections and the time frames for election events by an ordinance, taking into account the time frames specified in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of this article.


5. To participate in Sakrebulo by-elections, a party/electoral bloc indicated in Article 142(1)(a) of this Law, as well as a party registered for the last municipal elections, shall apply to the CEC not later than on the 47th day before Election Day. A party failing to meet this condition shall apply to the CEC within the same time frame. Upon the receipt of the application, the CEC shall give such party a sample form of a list of party supporters to collect supporter signatures. An initiative group of voters shall apply to the relevant DEC within the same time frame. The initiative group of voters, as well as the candidate nominated by such group, shall be registered under Article 141(3) of this Law.


6. The party, the registration of which under the fifth paragraph of this article requires presentation of the list of party supporters, shall present to the CEC the list of voters supporting the party’s participation in Sakrebulo elections not later than the 40th day before Election Day.


7. The candidate winning by-elections shall replace the Sakrebulo member elected through the majoritarian system for the remaining term of office.