Procedure for preferential voting

1. In preferential voting, surnames, names, patronymics of all candidates shall be specified on the left side of the ballot paper, and empty tick boxes shall be placed to the right of each candidate for the voter to make a note. The order of names of candidates shall be determined by drawing of lots. The ballot paper may be substituted by an electronic data file expressing the preferences.

2. In the ballot paper the elector shall enter the figure “1” in the tick box next to the name of the candidate to whom the elector gives his or her first preference. Subsequent integer numbers, starting from “2”, shall then be respectively entered in the tick boxes next to the names of other candidates in the order of preference given thereto. No number shall be entered in the tick boxes against those candidates to whom the elector gives no preference, but in any case, preference for candidates must be expressed at least for the number of vacant seats. At a particular stage of summarisation of voting results, a ballot paper shall be considered as given in favour of the continuing candidate who has the highest level of preference votes in that ballot paper.

3. The following main concepts are used in this Article:

(1) continuing candidate — candidate who is neither excluded from the counting nor declared as elected at a certain stage of summarisation of voting results;
(2) value of ballot paper — numerical value given to the ballot paper as prescribed by this Article at a certain stage of summarisation of voting results;
(3) total value of ballot papers — the total sum of values of all ballot papers not excluded from the counting at a certain stage of summarisation of voting results;
(4) value of votes for the candidate — the total sum of values of ballot papers cast in favour of the candidate, which are not excluded from the counting;
(5) passing quota — the minimum number of votes necessary for being deemed to be elected at a certain stage of summarisation of voting results;
(6) value of surplus votes for the candidate — the difference between the passing quota and the value of votes for the candidate, who is deemed to be elected by the result of a certain stage;
(7) gender equality standard — a quantitative standard ensuring gender equality between the elected candidates (for example, the number of representatives of each sex among the elected candidates must not be more than 6).

4. The voting results shall be summarised electronically. For the summarisation of voting results, the following steps shall be taken in turn until the summarisation of voting results is completed. All the arithmetical actions shall be done with 2-digit accuracy after the decimal point.

Step 1. Invalid ballot papers shall be excluded from the counting. A ballot paper shall be deemed invalid if it contains no preference given to candidates, at least equal to the number of vacant positions, or more than one candidate has received the same level of preference votes. All valid ballot papers shall be deemed not excluded from the counting, and the value of those ballot papers shall be considered as “1”.

Step 2. Ballot papers cast in favour of candidates not excluded from the counting shall be sorted as per the candidates. All candidates shall be deemed to be continuing candidates.

Step 3. Where the election of a representative of one of the sexes violates the gender equality standard:

a. all the representatives of that gender shall be excluded from the counting;
b. their ballot papers shall be distributed in the following manner: the ballot paper with the same value shall be added to the ballot papers of the continuing candidates in favour of whom it is cast.

Step 4. Where the number of all the elected candidates equals to the number of vacant seats, the summarisation of the voting results shall be completed.
Where the number of all the elected candidates is smaller than the number of vacant seats, but the compliance with gender equality standard unequivocally predetermines the candidates who are to fill the vacant seats, these respective candidates shall also be announced as elected, and the summarisation of the voting results shall be completed.

Step 5. The value of votes for the candidate shall be calculated for each continuing candidate. Based on these calculations, the total value of ballot papers shall be calculated, which shall be the total sum of votes of all continuing candidates.
The passing quota shall be calculated in accordance with the following formula:
Passing quota = Total value of ballot papers / (Number of vacant seats +1) + 0.01

Step 6. Where there is no continuing candidate whose total value of votes is higher than or equal to the passing quota, the process of summarisation of voting results shall continue from Step 10.

Step 7. The continuing candidate, whose total value of votes is the highest, shall be deemed as elected.

Step 8. For the elected candidate the value of surplus votes for the candidate, equalling to the difference of the value of the votes for the candidate and the passing quota, shall be counted. A new value of vote shall be given to each ballot paper cast in favour of that candidate. For the purpose of counting it, the value of vote of the ballot paper shall be multiplied by the value of surplus votes for the candidate and divided by the value of votes for the candidate.

Step 9. All ballot papers of an elected candidate shall be re-distributed in the following manner: the ballot paper shall be added to ballot papers of the candidate in favour of whom it is cast. Where there is no such continuing candidate, the ballot paper shall be excluded from the counting and shall never be used during the following summarisation steps. The summarisation of the voting results shall continue from Step 3.

Step 10. A continuing candidate with the lowest value of votes shall be excluded from the counting unless it violates the gender equality standard. In case it violates the gender equality standard, the candidate having received the minimum votes, whose exclusion will not violate the gender equality standard, shall be excluded from the counting. Where due to the tie of votes it is impossible to determine the candidate having received the minimum votes, the candidate to be excluded shall be determined by drawing of lots.

Ballot papers of the candidate excluded from the counting shall be distributed in the following manner: the ballot paper with the same value shall be added to ballot papers of the continuing candidate in favour of whom it is cast. The summarisation of the voting results shall continue from Step 3.