Another draft amendment (new Article 25.1 of the Election Code) substantially changes the process for appointing PEC management. Under the current law, PEC management is elected by the PEC members from among the PEC members elected by a DEC (that is, from among the non-party-appointed members), provided that the candidate receives the majority of votes of the PEC members elected by a DEC. The draft law instead grants DECs the power to directly elect the PEC management via an open competition in accordance with the same procedures for selecting PEC members laid out in Articles 24 and 25 of the Election Code and a CEC decree establishing the procedure, conditions and deadlines. In light of the low public trust in the impartiality of PECs, as evidenced in past elections, this measure may be aimed at bolstering trust by taking the process of selecting PEC management from an election amongst existing PEC members to an open competition at DEC level. However, it should be emphasised that, as with the process for PEC member selection by the DECs, the procedure, conditions and deadlines for the PEC head officer competition should ensure a genuinely open, competitive and merit-based process and one that is fully transparent. These key principles and guarantees should be reflected in the legislation.