Furthermore, ODIHR and the Venice Commission recommend:
E. Ensuring a genuinely open, competitive and merit-based process for PEC member selection by the DECs and reflecting key principles and guarantees in the legislation.
F. Extending requirements for standardised training certification to party-appointed members and setting an expiry period for the certificates to ensure that selected candidates have up-to-date training.
G. Clarifying the legal criteria in deciding which electoral precincts will use electronic means.
H. At least for an interim period, retaining a maximum number of voters for precincts where electronic means are used as in the regular precincts, or at least not considerably increasing the maximum number of voters for such precincts. Duly informing voters in case of merging the precincts and re-assigning voters to new voting locations.
I. In order to establish public trust in the new voting technologies, ensuring that the conventional safeguards (such as the use of a control sheet in the ballot box and the inking of voters who have cast a ballot) remain in effect at electoral precincts using electronic means, and explicitly providing in the law that in case of discrepancies between manual and electronic counts, the manual count takes precedence. Making it clear that the term “electronic voting and counting” used in the draft law refers to special paper ballots that are electronically scanned and counted, not to the use of electronic voting machines.
J. Consolidating efforts of all relevant authorities in adapting all polling premises to accommodate voters with mobility challenges and ensuring that adapted polling stations are close by to those that are yet to be adapted.
K. Giving consideration to extending restrictions on party affiliations of citizen observers to at least the past two elections.
L. Introducing a more comprehensive and systematic regulation on the prevention of misuse of administrative resources, in line with the recommendations made in previous Joint Opinions.
M. Further extending the deadlines for submission and consideration of complaints and appeals under Article 77(2) of the Election Code, in line with international standards.