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Article 34
 
Composition of the ZEC


 A ZEC is composed of seven members, who are appointed according to the following procedure:



Two of the members are proposed by the main governing party, two members are proposed by the main party of the parliamentary opposition and two members are proposed respectively by the second party of the governing political spectrum and by the second party of the opposition political spectrum; 

The seventh member of half of the ZECs is proposed by the main ruling party, while the seventh member of the other half is proposed by the main party of the parliamentary opposition. The respective ZECs are established by the CEC according to objective criteria based on:



random selection;

equal distribution in the electoral territory.



The chairman and deputy chairman of the ZEC are selected by the CEC upon the proposal of the ZEC. In those ZECs where the seventh member belongs to the main governing party, one of the members of the ZEC representing the main ruling party is elected chairman, while the chairman of the other half is elected from  the members of the ZEC representing the main party of the parliamentary opposition. The deputy chairman is of the opposite political affiliation to that of the chairman. 



The secretary of a ZEC is appointed by the CEC upon the proposal of the ZEC for a period of time determined by the CEC.  The secretary of a ZEC shall be a jurist and has the status of a non-voting member of the ZEC.

Members of a ZEC may not be deputies or candidates for the Assembly, part of the  representative organs of local government, or members of more than one ZEC.  Members of the ZEC may not be military personnel or members of structures of the State Police or the State Information Service.

Members of the ZEC shall have higher education and may not have been convicted of a crime by a final court decision.

Members of the ZEC shall have a domicile or a registered residence in the respective electoral zone.

The ZEC is a permanent organ, but its members do not work full-time.  The CEC determines the working hours of the ZEC members during the election period and outside of it.

Every political party registered with the CEC as an electoral subject that does not have a member in the ZEC in accordance with section 1 of this article has the right to designate one non-voting representative to the ZEC after nominating a candidate for the single-member zone or candidates on a multi-name list. 

Independent candidates in the respective zone have the right to designate one non-voting representative each to the ZEC.

If a political party represented on the ZEC does not nominate a candidate in that zone and has not submitted a multi-name list for the current election, that party relinquishes its seat on the ZEC. 

The ZEC is re-established in accordance with the results of the last elections to the Assembly no later than one month after the declaration of the final results of these elections by the CEC.

If the CEC establishes that the candidates for ZEC members meet the requirements of this article, it decides on the nomination of the members not later than 15 days from the submission of proposals. 

If the political parties of both groups that have the right to submit their candidates for the ZEC do not exercise this right by the deadline in section 10 of this article, this right is automatically transferred to those parties that come below the first group based on their number of seats in the Assembly.  

When the seat of a member of the ZEC is vacant, it is filled in compliance with the rules provided in this article within 30 days from the date of creation of the vacancy.  During the period of the elections, vacant seats are filled within three days.