Preparation of ballot papers

(1) Ballot papers shall be printed in accordance with the instruction approved by the Central Electoral Commission. Members of the Commission shall be present and the representatives of the electoral competitors/participants in the referendum may assist during the preparation of ballot paper matrix, printing the ballot papers and the destroy­ing of the matrix.

(2) Ballot papers shall be printed on opaque (matt) paper no later than 5 days be­fore the Elections Day, in an amount corresponding to the number of voters. On each bal­lot paper shall be apply two numbers, corresponding to the order number of the Electoral district and the serial number of the concerned polling station.

(3) Printed ballot papers shall be stored at the District Electoral Council premises and shall be delivered to the Precinct Electoral Bureau on the basis of an delivery-ac­ceptance act, on the day before the Elections, with the exception of those laid down in paragraph (7).

(4) The place where ballot papers are being stored shall be protected by police forc­es. Only the Chairperson of the relevant District Electoral Council or the Chairperson of the Precinct Electoral Bureau, together with at least two members of the Council or the Bureau, shall have access to ballot papers.

(5) The representatives of the electoral competitors/participants in the referendum, observers and voters have the right to become acquainted with the models of the ballot papers at the premises of the concerned Precinct Electoral Bureau.

(6) For the domestic polling stations, ballot papers shall be sent to the District Elec­toral Councils by the Central Electoral Commission, no later than 2 days before the Elec­tions Days.

(7) Central Electoral Commission shall send the ballot papers to the Precinct Elec­toral Bureaus from abroad at least 5 days before the Elections Days, according to the number of voters estimated on the basis of the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and information gathered by the Central Elec­toral Commission, but no more than 5000 ballot papers in each Precinct Electoral Bureau, per each day of elections.