Order of counting for local government elections

(amended by Law No. 74/2012, dated 19 July 2012; points 1 and 2 amended by Law No. 31/2015, dated 2 April 2015)

1. For the elections for local government bodies, the CEAZ shall group the ballot boxes by the respective body.

2. For each municipality, the counting shall start with the counting of the votes for the mayor and then with the counting of the votes for the respective council.

3. Vote count for one body shall not start unless all the ballot boxes for the preceding body are counted.

4. Upon completion of the counting of a box, the table of its results shall be filled according to Article 122 of this Code. The table of results for the voting centre shall contain also a column for votes for other bodies, but miscast in that box, which clearly specifies the number of miscast ballots in that box divided by the body for which the votes are cast.

5. When such ballots are found, the Counting Team shall set them apart, folded, and shall not evaluate them. Upon conclusion of the counting for that box, these ballot papers shall be put in the envelope marked “MISCAST VOTES”, divided into separate envelopes by the body for which the votes were cast. The number of miscast votes found in that box for each body shall be recorded in the special column of the table of results. The next box shall be opened only after procedures are completed and the previous box is sealed.

6. After the respective Counting Team completes the counting of the last box, the first counter shall fill in the Records of Findings, writing down the number of miscast ballots for each body found in each envelope. The envelopes with the miscast votes shall be sealed and delivered to the CEAZ along with the Records of Findings. The CEAZ shall open the envelopes, make the relevant annotations in the Meeting Records Book, and place these votes in special boxes, without opening the ballot papers. These boxes shall be the same as ballot boxes, and shall be opened and closed according to the procedures for the ballot boxes specified in this Code. The CEAZ has one box for miscast votes for each body for which elections are held in its territory.

7. Upon completion of the counting of all boxes for one body, the CEAZ shall compile the Preliminary Aggregate Table of Results for the EAZ reflecting the result for the body for each voting centre. This table shall not include the result of the box with the votes for the relevant body which are cast in the wrong box, specified in point 8 of this Article.
The result reflected in the Preliminary Aggregate Table of Results for the EAZ shall not be final. The table and any of its publication shall display the note that this result is not final.

8. Upon conclusion of the vote counting for all ballot boxes of the EAZ, the CEAZ shall appoint immediately one of the Counting Teams to evaluate and count the votes cast in the wrong boxes for each body, administered according to this Article. These votes shall be counted in accordance with the procedures specified in Articles 116, 117 and 118 of this Code. The box with miscast ballots for one body shall be opened upon the completion of the counting of boxes for the respective body.

9. The result of the box shall be entered into a separate table of results for miscast votes, which specifies the body for which the votes are cast. The table shall be filled in and signed according to the procedures specified in Article 119 of this Code.

10. Upon completion of the procedure specified in point 8 of this Article, the CEAZ shall fill in the Aggregate Table of Election Results for that EAZ, reflecting the results of each counted box and the result of the box with miscast votes, filled in according to point 8 of these Articles.