– (1) All the electoral operations carried out by the electoral bureaux of the polling stations may be attended, besides their members, by the accredited persons under the terms of this law.

(2) Within the meaning of this law, accredited persons shall mean the following:

a) internal and external observers;

b) internal and external mass media representatives;

c) the delegates of the political parties, organisations of citizens belonging to national minorities, of the political or electoral alliances thereof that have no representatives in the electoral bureaux.

(3) There may be accredited as internal observers the representatives of Nongovernmental organisations that have as a main object of activity the securing of democracy and human rights that are legally constituted within at least 6 months of the reference date. The persons appointed by these organisations as internal observers shall not have political affiliations.

(4) There may be accredited as internal mass media representatives from Romania the persons on contract with the institutions thereof, and appointed to this aim by their leaders. The persons appointed by such institutions as internal mass media representatives shall not have political affiliations.

(5) The internal observers and the internal mass media representatives shall be accredited by the county electoral bureaux, the Bucharest Municipality district electoral bureaux, and the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad, for all the polling stations within the jurisdiction thereof, upon the written request of the leaders of Nongovernmental organisations or of the mass media institutions from Romania within 5 days at least prior to the election date.

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

(7) There may be accredited as internal observers only the persons nominated by those Non-governmental organisations that produce a certificate issued by the Permanent Electoral Authority regarding the compliance with the provisions of paragraph (3).

(8) There may be accredited as internal mass media representatives only the persons nominated by those mass media institutions that produce a certificate issued by the Permanent Electoral Authority regarding the compliance with the provisions of paragraph (4).

(9) The delegates of the political parties, organisations of citizens belonging to national minorities, of the political or electoral alliances thereof that take part in elections and have no representatives in the electoral bureaux shall be accredited by the county electoral bureaux, the district electoral bureaux or the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad, for the respective electoral bureaux, upon the written request of the leaders of the county organisations of political parties, political and electoral alliances within 2 days at least prior to the election date.

(10) The accredited persons may attend to the electoral operations on the voting day, starting from 6:00 hours and finishing at the time when the members of the electoral bureau of the polling station are closing and signing the statement of poll to ascertain the voting results in the respective polling station, only if they produce the accreditation document, which shall also be valid in duplicate. They shall not interfere in any way in the organisation and conduct of the elections; they are only entitled to notify the president of the electoral bureau in writing in the event they find any inconsistencies. Any action of electoral propaganda, as well as the infringing by any means of the accreditation document shall entail the enforcement of the duly sanctions, the suspension of the accreditation by the electoral bureau that has found the misbehaviour, and on the voting day the immediate removal of the respective person from the polling station.

(11) At the electoral bureau of the polling station, the accredited persons shall be allowed to stay only within the area settled to this aim by the president of the electoral bureau of the polling station. The accreditation shall also permit the access of the holder thereof in the especially arranged to this aim at the county electoral bureau, the Bucharest Municipality district electoral bureau, or at the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad that issued the accreditation.

(12) The contestations contesting the accreditation or the rejection of the accreditation request by the county electoral bureau, the Bucharest Municipality district electoral bureau, or at the electoral bureau for the polling stations abroad shall be filed within 2 days at the most of the posting of the decision to the tribunal in whose jurisdiction operates the electoral bureau, and shall be settled by it within 2days at the most of registration. The decision shall be final and irrevocable.

(13) The contestations contesting the rejection by the Permanent Electoral Authority of the request for issuing the certificate referred to in paragraph (7) or (8) shall be filed within 2 days at the most of the communication of the answer to the Bucharest Court of Appeal, and shall be settled by it within 2 days of the registration. The decision shall be final and irrevocable.*

______________

*Amended by G.E.O. no. 11/2009.