Establishment of the Central Electoral Commission

1. The Central Electoral Commission shall consist of its chair and members. The Seimas shall set up the Central Electoral Commission:

1) not earlier than 140 and not later than 200 days after regular or early elections to the Seimas;

2) after adopting a decision to terminate the mandate of the Central Electoral Commission under Article 37(1)(9). A new Central Electoral Commission shall be set up not later than within 14 days from the date of entry into force of the decision of the Seimas to terminate the mandate of the Central Electoral Commission.

2. The Central Electoral Commission shall be composed of the following persons:

1) the chair of the Commission appointed by secret ballot by the Seimas on the recommendation of the Speaker of the Seimas;

2) two holders of a university degree in law appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice;

3) two holders of a university degree in law appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot on the recommendation of the Lithuanian Lawyers Association;

4) two holders of a university degree appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot on the recommendation of the President of the Republic;

5) holders of a university degree experienced at working in electoral committees or referendum committees, recommended by political parties or their coalitions, provided the said parties or coalitions had gained seats in the Seimas during the previous election to the Seimas in a multi-member constituency.

3. Each political party or coalition of political parties that had gained seats in the Seimas during the previous election to the Seimas in a multi-member constituency shall have the right to nominate a candidate to the Central Electoral Commission before the Commission is set up.

4. The Seimas may not reject the nominations referred to in Article 34(2)(5) if they meet the requirements set out in Article 26.

5. In any case, the number of persons appointed to the Central Electoral Commission from among the nominations of the Minister of Justice, the President of the Republic, and the Lithuanian Lawyers Association shall not be inferior to the number of members of the Central Electoral Commission nominated by the political parties or their coalitions. Should this not be the case, the number of members of the Central Electoral Commission shall be further increased in equal measure by nominations of the Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Lawyers Association.

6. The work of the Central Electoral Commission shall be supported by the Secretariat of the Central Electoral Commission (hereinafter: ‘the Secretariat’). The Secretariat shall consist of civil servants and employees working under employment contracts.