(1) The declaration that one or more Land lists of the same political party are to be excluded from the combination of lists (Article 7 of the Law) shall be made to the Federal Returning Officer jointly by the spokesperson and the deputy spokesperson for the Land list concerned in accordance with the specimen at Annex 25. It must contain the designation of each Land list excluded from the combination, stating the name of the party (shortened form) and the Land, and must bear the personal handwritten signatures of the spokesperson and the deputy spokesperson for the Land list in question.
(2) The Federal Returning Officer shall record on each declaration of exclusion the date and, if it is received on the last day of the stipulated submission period, the time of receipt. He or she shall immediately examine the declarations of exclusion received. If the Federal Returning Officer has reservations about a declaration of exclusion, he or she shall communicate them to the spokesperson and the deputy spokesperson for the Land list. Article 25 of the Law shall apply as appropriate.
(3) If the Federal Electoral Committee rejects an exclusion from a combination of lists, the Federal Returning Officer shall intimate this to the spokesperson and the deputy spokesperson for the Land list in question.
