(1) A national minority candidate may win a mandate under preferential conditions from a compensatory list in a general local government election or in a by-election for electing the entire representative body, provided that at the time when the date for the election was set, at least twenty-five per cent of the voters recorded in the electoral register were also recorded in the national minority electoral register for the national minority concerned.

(2) If none of the candidates of the national minority concerned wins a mandate in the mayoral election, in the single-member constituency or from the compensatory list, including the national minority compensatory list,

a) the number representing two thirds of the average number of valid votes cast for representatives who won a mandate in single-member constituencies shall be determined,

b) the national minority compensatory list shall receive one preferential mandate, provided that it receives more wasted votes than the number determined using the method under point a). The mandate shall be allocated to the candidate according to section 16 (4).

(3) The number of members of the representative body determined under section 5 shall increase by the preferential mandate allocated using the method under paragraph (2).

(4) If the seat of a representative elected from a national minority compensatory list becomes vacant, his place shall be taken by the candidate from the national minority compensatory list with the next highest number of votes received in the single-member constituency.

(5) If a candidate of the same national minority wins a mandate as a mayor or in a single-member constituency in a by-election, the preferential national minority mandate shall terminate.