Formation of Precinct election commissions

1. No later than 65 days prior to an election, the MEC shall set the number of PEC members for each polling station that must be a multiple of the number of the parties having the right to nominate candidates to election Commissions. If the number of nominated candidates is insufficient or there is a vacancy in the PEC, the director of the administration of the municipality where the precinct is formed may nominate the lacking candidates.

2. The following shall have the right to propose an equal number of candidates to a PEC:

1) each party or coalition of the parties which obtained the seats of Seimas member in a multi-member constituency during the last election to the Seimas. If a party obtained the seats of the Seimas members within a coalition, it may nominate candidates together with the members of the coalition;

2) a party or a coalition of the parties which obtained the seats from the list of nominated candidates (joint list) in the election to a municipal council. If a party obtained the seats within a coalition, it may nominate candidates together with the members of the coalition.

3. If a party may nominate candidates on the basis of the results of both the parliamentary and municipal election, it may nominate candidates on the basis of the results of only one of these elections by its choice. If one of the parties which have participated in an election coalition does not nominate candidates or refuses to nominate them, or chooses to nominate candidates according to the results of the election other than those for which the coalition was formed, other parties which participated in the coalition have the right to nominate candidates in its absence.

4. Parties submit their lists of MEC nominees no later than 48 days prior to an election.

5. PECs shall, for the period of an election, be formed by MECs no later than 45 days before an election. If a candidate nominated by the party meets the requirements of this Law, the MEC may not turn him down.

6. If no candidates have been nominated or the nominated candidates do not meet the requirements of this Law, or they have been nominated after the set time limit, a MEC may decrease the earlier fixed number of PEC members or address the director of the municipal administration to nominate the lacking PEC members. People proposed by the director of the municipal administration may not be members of parties or become one prior to the expiration of the powers of the PEC member. If at the session where a PEC member is appointed at least three MEC members object to the appointment of the person nominated by the director of the municipal administration, that person may not be appointed a PEC member.

7. PECs chairpersons shall be appointed from among the PEC members by MECs. A person who has got the experience of serving as the chairperson or a member of an election Commission or a person who has the higher education shall be appointed as PEC chairperson.

8. During its first session the PEC shall elect its deputy chairperson and a secretary.

9. When an early election of the President under Article 87 of the Constitution or an election of the President under Article 89(1) of the Constitution is held within two months from the announcement of the election date, MECs shall, not later than 45 days before an election, establish the number of members of each PEC. Parties shall submit to MECs the lists of candidates for PEC members no later than 42 days prior to the election. PECs shall be set up not later than 40 days left to the election. An PEC member who does not give a written pledge longer than seven days after the appointment or who gives a written pledge with the reservation, shall lose her/his powers in the PEC. If an early election of the President under Article 87 of the Constitution or an election of the President under Article 89(1) of the Constitution is held earlier than within two months from the announcement of the election date, 40-day, 42-day and 45-day time limits specified in this paragraph shall be reduced by the number of days lacking to constitute a two-month time limit.