Home > 2.3.1 National observers > ROMANIA - Law no. 370 on the election of the President of Romania Republished
 
 
 
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Article 47
 

(1) The electoral operations carried out by the electoral bureaux of the polling stations may be attended, apart from the members thereof, by the persons accredited under the conditions of this law.


(2) Within the meaning of this law, by accredited persons one shall understand:


a) the internal and external observers;


b) the internal and external representatives of the media.


(3) The representatives of non-governmental organizations that have in their line of business the defence of democracy and of human rights or the observation of the elections, and that are legally set up at least 6 months before the election date may be accredited as internal observers. The persons appointed internal observers by these organizations may not have a political affiliation.


(4) As internal representatives of the media may be accredited the persons specially appointed in writing by the management of the media institutions. The persons appointed internal representatives of the media may not have a political affiliation.


(5) The accreditation of internal observers and of internal representatives of the media shall be made by the county electoral bureaux, the electoral bureaux of the districts of Bucharest Municipality and the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad, for all the polling stations within the jurisdiction thereof, following the petition filed by the non-governmental organizations or media institutions in Romania at least 5 days before the election date.


(6) The accreditation of external observers and of external representatives of the media shall be made by the Permanent Electoral Authority on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for all electoral bureaux.


(7) Only the persons proposed by those non-governmental organizations that present a certificate attesting to the fulfilment of the conditions provided for in paragraph (3), issued by the Permanent Electoral Authority, may be accredited as internal observers. The certificate may be requested by 10 days at the latest prior to the election date.


(8) The persons proposed by those media institutions that present a certificate issued by the Permanent Electoral Authority attesting to the fact that they carry on activities in that field may be accredited as internal representatives of the media. The certificate may be requested by 10 days at the latest prior to the election date, based on certain documents that show the line of business of the respective institution.


(9) The accredited persons may attend the electoral operations on the election day, from 6:00 a.m. till the moment when the members of the electoral bureau of the polling station draw up and sign the statement of the vote in the respective polling station, only if they present the accreditation document, the copy of which is valid as well. These persons may not intervene in any way in the organization and conduct of the elections, they are only entitled to notify in writing the president of the electoral bureau of the polling station in case they notice an irregularity. Any electoral propaganda action, as well as the violation in any way of the accreditation document shall incur the enforcement of legal sanctions, the suspension of the accreditation by the electoral bureau that found the infringement, and on voting day the immediate removal of the respective person from the polling station.


(10) At the electoral bureau of the polling station the accredited persons may stay only in the space established for this purpose in the voting room by the president of the electoral bureau of the polling station. At the same time the accreditation shall entitle the holder to have access to the space specially arranged for this purpose at the county electoral bureau, the electoral bureau of the district of Bucharest Municipality or at the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad that issued the accreditation.


(11) The contestations on the accreditation or rejection of the request for accreditation by the county electoral bureau, the electoral bureau of the district of Bucharest Municipality or by the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad shall be submitted with the court of law within the territorial jurisdiction of which functions the electoral bureau, and shall be solved by the court of law within two days at most of the registration. The judgement shall be final and irrevocable.


(12) The contestations on the rejection, by the Permanent Electoral Authority, of the request for the issue of the certificates provided for in paragraphs (7) and (8) shall be submitted with the Bucharest Court of Appeal within two days at most of the communication of the reply, and shall be settled by the Court within two days of the registration. The judgement shall be final and irrevocable.