Home > 5.1.3.1 Gathering of signatures > RUSSIAN FEDERATION - Federal Law on Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation to Participate in a Referendum
 
 
 
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Article 37
 

1. In accordance with the procedure established by law, signatures of voters, referendum participants may be collected in support of nomination of candidates, lists of candidates, a referendum initiative. The number of signatures required for registration of candidates, lists of candidates shall be established by law and shall not exceed two percent of the number of voters registered on the territory of the electoral district in accordance with Section 10, Article 16 of this Federal Law, but shall not be less than 10 signatures. The number of signatures required to be collected in support of an initiative to hold a referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation shall be established by law and shall not exceed two percent of the number of referendum participants registered on the territory of the referendum in accordance with Section 10, Article 16 of this Federal Law, the number of signatures, which should be collected in support of an initiative to hold a local referendum, shall be established by the law and shall not exceed five percent of the number of referendum participants registered on the territory of the referendum in accordance with Section 10, Article 16 of this Federal Law, but shall not be less than 25 signatures.


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).


2. The number of signatures required by law for registration of candidates in a multi-seat electoral district shall not exceed two percent of the number of voters registered on the territory of the relevant electoral district divided by the number of deputy seats, but shall not be less than 10 signatures..


(in the version of Federal Law of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ).


3. The quotas for collection of voter signatures on the territory of one subject of the Russian Federation at elections of federal bodies of state power may be established by the federal laws.


4. No quotas shall be established for the collection of signatures of voters, referendum participants at an election of bodies of state power of subjects of the Russian Federation, bodies of local self-government, a referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation, a local referendum for a part of the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation, a part of the territory of the municipality.


5. The signature sheets shall be printed for the account of the relevant electoral funds, referendum funds. At the elections to federal governmental authorities, governmental authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation, when initiating the referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, signatures may be collected from the date of payment for manufacturing of signature sheets. At the elections to local authorities, when initiating a local referendum, signatures may be collected from the day immediately following the day of notification of the commission as to nomination of the candidate, certification of the list of candidates, registration of the initiative group for holding of the referendum. The period established by the law of a subject of the Russian Federation, in which the signatures may be collected, in support of an initiative to hold a referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation shall be at least 30 days, in support of an initiative to hold a local referendum, at least 20 days.


(Section 5 in the version of Federal Law of December 5, 2006, # 225-FZ)


6. Signatures may be collected only among voters who are entitled to an active electoral right in the electoral district in which a candidate/ a list of candidates was nominated, or among referendum participants who are entitled to participate in a relevant referendum. Bodies of state power, bodies of local self-government, governing bodies of organizations, irrespective of form of ownership, institutions, voting members of election commission shall not participate in signature collection. In the course of signature collection it shall be prohibited to compel voters to put their signatures or to remunerate them in any form for doing so and collect signatures at work places, places of study, when and where wages, pensions, allowances, scholarships, other social benefits are paid as well as when charity contributions are made. Signatures collected in violation of provisions of this Section shall be invalid.


(in the version of Federal Laws of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ, of December 5, 2006, # 225-FZ).


7. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has attained to the age of 18 years by the time of signature collection and not recognized by a court as legally incapable shall be entitled to collect signatures of voters, referendum participants. A candidate, an electoral association, an authorized representative of the referendum initiative group may enter a contract for signature collection with a person collecting signatures of voters, referendum participants. Remuneration for such work shall be paid only through the electoral funds of the candidate, electoral association, through the referendum funds established by the referendum initiative group.


(in the version of Federal Laws of July 21, 2005, # 93-FZ, July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


8. The form of the signature sheet for collection of signatures in support of nomination of federal lists of candidates for deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, nomination/ selfnomination of candidates for the position of the President of the Russian Federation, the procedure for its population and certification, the procedure for verification of signatures of the voters and the reason for recognition of signatures of the voters as unreliable and/or invalid shall be established in the federal law. The signature sheets for collection of signatures of the voters in support of nomination of lists of candidates, nomination/ self-nomination of candidates for deputies of a legislative/ representative body of the state power of the subject of the Russian Federation shall be made and formalized in accordance with Appendices 4 and 5 to this Federal Law, in support of nomination/ self-nomination of a candidate for a position of the head of the municipal entity, according to Appendix 6 to this Federal Law, in support of nomination of lists of candidates, nomination/ self-nomination of candidates for deputies of the representative body of the municipal entity – according to Appendices 7 and 8 to this Federal Law. The signature sheets for collection of signatures of the referendum participants in support of the initiative of holding the referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, a local referendum shall be made and formalized in accordance with Appendix 9 to this Federal Law. The Format of the signature page with the voters’ signatures in support of nomination of members of the elective local authority, the procedure for verification of signatures of voters and the reason for recognition of signatures of the voters as untrue and/or invalid shall be established by law of the subject of the Russian Federation.


(Section 8 in the version of federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


9. If a candidate for deputies of legislative/representative governmental authority of the subject of the Russian Federation, the candidate for the position of the head of the municipality, the candidate for deputies of the representative body of the municipality, whose data are indicated in the signature sheet, has uncancelled and unlifted conviction shall indicate data on the conviction of the candidate in addition, in the signature sheet. If the candidate for deputies of the legislative/ representative body of the state power of the subject of the Russian Federation, the candidate for the position of the head of the municipality, the candidate for deputies of the representative authority of the municipality, information on which is contained in the signature sheet, in the application for consent to ballot to the body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation, the body of local self-government, in accordance with Section 2, Article 33, of this Federal Law, indicated his/her belonging to a political party or another public association and his/her status in that political party or this public association, information to this effect is provided in the signature sheet.


(Section 9 in the version of Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


10. At the elections to the bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation, if holding of the referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation is initiated, the number of the special election account, special account of the referendum fund, from which the payment for manufacturing of signature sheets was effectuated, are indicated.


(Section 10 is introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


11. A voter, referendum participant shall put on the signature sheet his signature and the date of signing, and indicate his surname, first name and patronymic, year of birth (at the age of 18, also the day and month of birth), address of place of residence, series and number of the passport or equivalent identity paper, and the address of the place of residence as stated in the passport or equivalent identity document. The data on voters, referendum participants who put their signatures and write the dates of signing on the signature sheet may be entered in the signature sheet, at the request of a voter, referendum participant, by the person collecting signatures in support of the candidate, list of candidates. All such data shall be written by hand, pencils cannot be used. A voter, referendum participant shall put his signature and write the date of signing with his own hand. A voter shall be free to place his/her signature in support of nomination of different candidates, lists of candidates, for only once in support of one and the same candidate / list of candidates. A referendum participant shall be free to place his/her signature in support of one and the same initiative only once.


(Section 11 was introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


12. Each signature sheet should be certified with a signature of the person in charge of collection of signatures of voters/ referendum participants. In certification of the signature sheet, the person who collected signatures of voters/ referendum participants shall indicate his/her surname, name and patronymic, date of birth, residential address, series, number and date of issue of the passport or its substitute, the name or code of the authority that issued the same, and also places his/her signature and the date of its entry.


(Section 12 was introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


13. Each signature sheet with signatures of voters in support of nomination of the list of candidates should be certified by the authorized representative of the election association. Each signature sheet with signatures of voters in support of nomination/ self-nomination of the candidate should be certified by the candidate. Each signature sheet with signatures of voters in support of the initiative to hold the referendum shall be certified by the authorized representative of the initiative group in charge of the referendum. When the signature sheet is certified, the authorized representative of the election association, the candidate, the authorized representative of the initiative group for holding the referendum shall place their signatures and the date of its placement near their surname, name and patronymic.


(Section 13 was introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


14. In case of collection of signatures in support of nomination of the candidate, the list of candidates, the initiative to hold the referendum, it is allowed to populate the signature sheet on the face and the reverse. In this case, the reverse is the continuation of the face, with the uniform numbering of signatures, and the certification signatures shall be placed on the reverse of the signature sheet, immediately after the last signature of the voter.


(Section 14 was introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).


15. After the end of collection of signatures, the candidate, authorized representatives of the election association, authorized representatives of the initiative group for holding the referendum shall count the total number of collected signatures of the voters, the referendum participants and shall draft the minutes of the results of collection of signatures in two copies, in the form established by the commission that arranges for the elections and the referendum. Each copy of the protocol shall be signed by the candidate, the authorized representative of the election association, the authorized representative of the initiative group for holding the referendum, respectively.


(Section 15 was introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ)


16. Signature pages shall be transferred to the commission in the sewn and numbered form. Together with the signature sheets, the protocol of collection of signatures in hard copy, in counterpart, and in machine readable form, shall be submitted to the commission. The law may envisage that, in elections of deputies to the legislative/ representative body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation, in initiating holding of the referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, the candidate, the election association, the initiative group of the referendum shall draft and submit to the commission the list of persons who collect signatures of voters, referendum participants, to notarize the information on the persons who collected signatures and the signatures of those persons and also submit to the commission the list of the said persons in the machine readable form, in the format established by the commission that arranges for the elections and the referendum. The law cannot envisage presentation of the list of persons who collected signatures of the voters, if all signatures were collected by the candidate nominated directly, in support of his/her candidature.


(Section 16 is introduced by Federal Law of July 23, 2011, # 259-FZ).