Establishing Polling Stations and Precinct Electoral Bureaus

(1) To conduct voting and count the votes, constituencies shall be divided into polling stations.

(2) Polling stations are established by District Electoral Councils in localities based on recommendations made by the Mayors of towns (municipalities), sectors and villages (communes), at least 35 days prior to the Election Day. At the proposal of mayors of cities (municipalities), sectors and villages (communes) the ceilling of 3000 voters can be excedeed with up to 10 percent. The polling stations shall have between 30 and 3,000 voters and be established in similar terms for the elections of any level and in republican referenda. The polling stations venues are established, as a rule, in public property premises and are equipped in such a way as to facilitate the access of elderly and of people with disabilities.

(3) Special polling stations may also be established in hospitals, health resorts, maternity hospitals, asylums and homes for the elderly. Such polling stations shall have at least 30 voters.

(4) Military personnel shall vote at polling stations of that locality where the military units are located.

(5) In new local, partial local elections and local referenda, when no second-level district electoral council are to be established, the first-level District Electoral Council shall establish the polling stations and their Electoral Bureaus.

(6) The District Electoral Council shall number its polling stations and make public the information about the borders of each station, the address of Precinct Electoral Bureaus, the address of the voting venue and the contact details.

(7) Polling stations shall be numbered in alphabetical order starting with the locality where the District Electoral Council is located, continuing with those in municipalities, towns, sectors, communes and villages.

(8) The Mayoralties shall provide information and support to Precinct Electoral Bureaus to ensure proper execution of their duties as stipulated in the present Code.

(9) Precinct Electoral Bureaus shall be established by District Electoral Councils at least 25 days prior to elections, and consist of an odd number of between 5 and 11 members. Precinct Electoral Bureaus shall be established in similar terms for the elections of any level and in republican referenda.

(10) Local councils shall nominate 3 candidates to the Precinct Electoral Bureau. The other members of the Precinct Electoral Bureau are nominated by political parties and by other socio-political organisations represented in Parliament on the date of Bureau establishment, one candidate of each entity, and should this be insufficient, the remaining members are nominated by the District Electoral Council, at the proposal of the Central Electoral Commission, out of the Registry of Election Officials. Members of the Precinct Electoral Bureau may not be counsellors in the local councils and/or political party members. If the political parties and other socio-political organisations do not nominate their candidates to the Precinct Electoral Bureau at least 7 days prior to the term of its establishment, the necessary number of candidates is filled by the local council. If the local council does not nominate candidates, the Electoral Bureau is filled by the District Electoral Council, upon the proposal of the Central Electoral Commission, out of the Registry of Election Officials.

(11) Within 2 days following its establishment, the Precinct Electoral Bureau shall elect a Chairperson, a Deputy Chairperson and a Secretary of the bureau among its members. The Precinct Electoral Bureau shall notify the District Electoral Council of its decision without delay, and make public the list of electoral bureau members, its location and contact details.

(12) In order to insure the exercise of th right to vote, the Central Electoral Commission may establish polling stations and Precinct Electoral Bureaus in other cases as well.