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Article 61
 

Votes Counting and Tabulation by Precinct Electoral Bureau


(1) After the time reserved for voting has expired, the chairperson of the Precinct Electoral Bureau shall announce the end of voting and order the closure of polling station premises. The precinct electoral bureau shall start counting the votes.


(2) Before opening the ballot boxes, all unused ballot papers shall be counted and cancelled by the Precinct Electoral Bureau by affixing the stamp “Cancelled”, being subsequently bundled and sealed.


(3) Before counting the votes cast for candidates, the Precinct Electoral Bureau shall determine the number of voters who were issued ballot papers by counting the number of signatures affixed by the voters in the main voters’ lists and in the additional lists.


(4) Following the verification the seals on the ballot boxes, the chairperson of the Precinct Electoral Bureau, in the presence of bureau members and of persons authorised to observe the election procedures, shall open the ballot boxes. Mobile ballot boxes shall be opened first, the ballot papers from mobile ballot box are counted, and, subsequently, the other ballot boxes shall be opened.


(5) The polling station must be provided with sufficient tables so that all ballots taken out of ballot boxes may be counted in one place visible to all bureau members and to other people in attendance. Candidates’ name tags shall be placed on the tables where votes are counted.


(6) The number of ballot papers taken out of mobile ballot boxes shall be counted first separately, then reconciled with the number of ballots issued for mobile voting, and only after that the obtained number shall be added to other ballot papers in order to count the votes cast for candidates.


(7) According to a procedure determined by the Precinct Electoral Bureau, or upon instructions provided by the Central Electoral Commission or competent District Electoral Council, the Precinct Electoral Bureau members shall unfold the ballots and determine for which candidate the ballot was cast. The ballots for each candidate shall be counted and bundled separately, and the results of the counting, once determined, shall be entered on a special counting sheet and communicated to the superior election body.


(8) Before the number of votes obtained by each candidate is entered on the results Protocol, representatives of candidates and other persons authorised to observe the election procedures shall be allowed to double check the data entered on the special counting sheet.


(9) The Precinct Electoral Bureau shall not include invalid ballots in the total number of counted valid votes.


(10) After the polling station closure, the Precinct Electoral Bureau is considered to be in a meeting to count the votes and complete the bureau Protocols and report. All Precinct Electoral Bureau members shall remain at the polling station and be engaged in the bureau operations throughout this period, unless prevented from doing so by a physical incapacity or other exceptional circumstances.