In the current situation, the mayoral candidates – as well as their parties and the electorate – had the legitimate expectation that once admitted to the election they would become mayors if they gained the majority of votes, given that their candidacies had been checked and validated. Moreover, the candidates were aware of the fact that other persons prohibited from public service had been elected to the National Parliament. In addition, the rapporteurs were informed that during the period of candidacy for the local election, the SEC had not raised this issue, i.e. the prohibition from public service by decree law as a ground for ineligibility. On the contrary, on 15 January 2019 it announced the conditions and documentation to be submitted to prove the eligibility for standing in local elections. These included e.g. a criminal record to verify any previous conviction of a person but no documentation to verify whether a person had been subjected to a sanction by emergency decrees. Finally, it must be stressed that no change in the legal situation occurred after the validation of the candidates which might have justified a deviation from the principle of legitimate expectations.