Assistance for Election Commissions and Use of State Budget Funds to Conduct an Election

1. State and municipal institutions and agencies must assist election Commissions in exercising their powers and provide information necessary for their performance.

2. State and municipal institutions and agencies must, within three days, consider requests submitted to them by election Commissions and give them justified responses.

3. For carrying out an auxiliary work the CEC may recruit employees under the employment contract. Employment contracts shall be signed by the CEC Chairperson or authorised people. The Government shall, taking into account CEC recommendations, set the procedure for paying the employed staff for work and the amount of such payment.

4. State and municipal institutions and agencies must provide to election Commissions suitable premises for organisation and conduct of an election, equipment, computer hardware and the internet access. Polling stations and access to them must be suitable for voters with disabilities and older voters.

5. The CEC shall transfer the state budget funds allocated to MECs for organisation of an election to the bank account for each MEC.

6. The CEC Chairperson shall sign an agreement with the MEC chairperson on the use of state budget funds.
This agreement shall indicate:

1) the amount of state budget funds transferred to the MEC and the programme of the CEC under which these funds are allocated;

2) the targeted purpose of the use of state budget funds for organisation of an election;

3) planned detailed distribution of state budget funds according to the economic purpose of expenditure, and the calculation of remuneration costs (attached to the agreement);

4) the procedure for counting to the CEC for the use of state budget funds (indicating the economic purpose of expenditure) and submitting of counting documents justifying the use of the funds;

5) other provisions which help the CEC to ensure lawfulness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency and productiveness of implementation of the programmes and the use of state budget funds for organisation of an election.

7. The CEC shall transfer the state budget funds for organisation of an election to the accounts indicated in paragraph 5 of this Article in accordance with the estimates of MECs, approved by the CEC.

8. The MEC chairperson shall be responsible for state budget funds allocated for the MEC for organisation of an election and shall account to the CEC for this.

9. The CEC shall examine the report on the use of the state budget funds for the organisation of an election and the documents justifying the expenditure, presented by the MEC chairperson. Having established violations of financing, use of funds or accounting, the CEC shall initiate full recovery of damages from the guilty people.

10. The MEC chairperson shall be liable for the damages inflicted during the period of validity of the agreement on the use of state budget funds for organisation of an election even after the expiration of such an agreement.