The power to choose the date of the elections is, in these states, not a discretionary power, as the Constitution or the electoral law gives compulsory indications as to the period in which the elections will have to be held. These terms vary from country to country.

- Albania: sixty to thirty days before the end of the mandate (Art. 65.2 Constitution)
- Andorra: between the thirtieth and fortieth days following the end of the term/the dissolution of the Counsel General (Art. 51 (2) Constitution)
- Armenia: “no sooner than fifty and no later than forty days prior to the expiration of the term of the National Assembly” (Art. 68 par. 1 Constitution)
- Belarus: no later than thirty days prior to the expiry of the powers of the current Parliament (Art. 91 Constitution)
- Bulgaria: within two months from the expiry of the mandate of the preceding one (Art. 64.3 Constitution)
- Czech Republic: during the period commencing thirty days prior to the expiration of each electoral term and ending on the day of its expiration (Art. 17 (1) Constitution)
- Croatia: “Elections for members of the Croatian Parliament shall be held not later than 60 days after the expiry of the mandate or dissolution of the Croatian Parliament” (Art. 73 (1) Constitution)
- France: « dans les soixante jours qui précèdent l'expiration des pouvoirs de l'Assemblée nationale » (Article LO 122, Code électoral)
- Georgia: at least fifteen days before the expiration of its term (Article 50 (3) Constitution)
- Germany: forty-five months at the earliest, and forty-seven months at the latest after the beginning of the legislative term (Art. 39 (1) Constitution)
- Greece: within thirty days (Art. 53 (1) Constitution)
- Hungary: within a period of three months following the declaration of the Parliament’s dissolution or the Parliament having been dissolved (Art. 28 (6) Constitution)
- Italy: within seventy days of the end of the term of previous Houses (Art. 61 Constitution)
- Liechtenstein: in February or March of the calendar year in which the fourth year ends (Art. 47 Constitution)
- Lithuania: no earlier than two months, and no later than 1 month, prior to the expiration of the powers of the Seimas’ members (Art. 57 Constitution)
- Moldova: not later than three months from the end of the previous mandate (Art. 61 Constitution)
- Montenegro: no less than fifteen days prior to the termination of the term of office of councillors and representatives whose term of office is still valid (Art. 14 Law on election of Councillors and Representatives)
- Norway: in the month of September in the final year of the electoral term of each Storting. (Chapter 9 Representation of the People Act)
- Poland: within thirty days prior to the expiry of the 4 years term (Art. 9 (1) Parliamentary Law election)
- Portugal: between 14 September and 14 October of the year corresponding to the end of legislature. (Art. 19 (2) Parliament Electoral Law)
- Romania: within three months at the most of the expiry of the term of office (Article 63 (2) Constitution)
- Serbia: not later than thirty days prior to the termination of the term of office of Members of Parliament whose term of office is expiring (Art. 26 of the Law on the Election of members of Parliament)
- Slovenia: no sooner than two months and no later than fifteen days before the expiry of four years from the date of the first session of the previous National Assembly (Art. 81 (3) Constitution, Art. 13 National Assembly Elections Act)
- “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: in the last ninety days of the term of the previous composition of the Parliament (Article 15 paragraph 1, Electoral Code).