Time Frame for Calling Local Elections and Announcement of Election Process

1. Regular local elections shall be called no later than ninety days prior to the day of voting, whereas extraordinary local elections shall be called no later than sixty days prior to the day of voting.

The election process shall commence fifty days prior to the day of regular or extraordinary local elections.

2. Repeat local elections shall be called on the last Sunday of the sixty-day time period from the day of adoption of the decision on their calling, whereas the election process shall commence in fifty days prior to the day of voting in repeat local elections.

A decision on calling repeat elections shall be made by the territorial election commission no later than within ten days from the date of occurrence of the circumstances provided for by this Code, for the appointment of such election or from the date of termination of the circumstances that became the basis for termination of the electoral process of the respective local elections.

3. By-elections of members (a member) of a village, settlement or city council (a territorial community with up to 10,000 voters) in a multi-member district shall be called subject to the provisions of Article 5 of this Code for the upcoming last Sunday of March or the last Sunday of October (except for the year of the regular local elections), and the election process begins fifty days before the day of the by-elections.

The decision to call by-elections of members (a member) of a village, settlement or city council (a territorial community with up to 10,000 voters) shall be made by the territorial election commission no later than within ten days from the date of receipt of the notice of early termination of powers of a member of the council elected in the respective constituency by the relevant local election commission but not later than sixty days before the day of the forthcoming by-elections determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 of this Code.

4. A supplementary election shall be called no later than seventy days prior to the day of voting, whereas the election process shall commence in fifty days prior to the day of voting in a supplementary election in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 of this Code.

5. The first local elections shall be called no later than seventy days prior to the day of voting, whereas the election process shall commence fifty days prior to the day of voting in the first local election.

6. Local elections (repeat voting of the local elections) shall be called on Sunday.

7. A body which, in accordance with Article 194 of this Code has made a decision on calling a repeat election, a by-election or the first local election, shall, no later than the third day of the day of adoption thereof, publish that decision in printed mass media, or make that decision public in another manner, should the above way be impossible, as well as notify the Central Election Commission of that decision within the same time period.

8. The Central Election Commission shall, by way of adopting a respective decision, announce of the commencement of the election process in regular local elections, the first elections of local council members, and a village, settlement or city mayor, supplementary elections of members of village and settlement councils, whereas a territorial election commission shall announce, at its meeting, the commencement of the election process in extraordinary or repeat local elections, or by-elections, stating thereof in the minutes of the commission meeting. The adoption by a respective election commission of a decision on the commencement of the election process in a respective type of local elections shall be deemed its official announcement. A decision of the respective election commission on the announcement of the commencement of the election process of a respective type of local elections shall be published no later than three days following the day after the adoption thereof in a manner determined thereby.

An official announcement shall be made by way of adopting a decision on the commencement of the election process by the Central Election Commission, no later than five days prior to the day of commencement of the election process in local elections, or by a territorial election commission, within five days of the day of the adoption of a decision on calling the extraordinary local election, or by a territorial election commission, in the event of calling repeat local elections or by-elections, simultaneously with the adoption of the said decision thereby.

9. In the event of failure of a territorial election commission to comply with the requirements of this Code (inaction of an election commission) as regards calling repeat local elections, or by-elections, such elections shall be called by the Central Election Commission within five days from the day when the inaction of a respective territorial election commission has been established. In the event of the inaction of a territorial election commission, a decision on the commencement of the election process shall be made by the Central Election Commission.