(1) The mandate of a councillor shall start on the date of the mandate’s verification.

(2) The verification of the mandate shall be decided upon by the assembly in its constitutive session.

(3) The constitutive session of the assembly shall be called by the President of the assembly from the previous assembly’s term of office within 15 days from the announcement of the election results.

(4) The constitutive session shall be chaired by the oldest councillor, who shall be also authorized to convene the constitutive session in case the president of the assembly from the previous term of office fails to do so in the legally prescribed time-limit.

(5) The verification of a councillor’s mandate, on the basis of the verification committee report, shall be decided upon by the assembly by public vote. The councillors whose mandates have been assigned in accordance with Article 43 of this Law and who have received a certificate of election by the Electoral Commission of the local self-government unit, may participate in the vote.

(6) When upon its constitution the assembly vote on the verification of mandates of new councillors, the candidates whose mandates have been assigned in accordance with Article 48 of this Law and who have a certificate of election by the Electoral Commission of the local self-government unit shall also be entitled to participate in the vote.

(7) Am appeal may be lodged with the Administrative Court against the decision on the verification of councillors’ mandates within 48 hours from the date of adoption of the decision by the assembly of the local self-government unit.