Approved by Decision # 32/266
dated on September 23, 2003 of the
Central Election Commission
of the Republic of Azerbaijan

INSTRUCTION
on the working rule of the Precinct Election Commissions on the Election Day

1. The voting on the Presidential Election Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan is conducted since 8.00 till 19.00. The working time of the Precinct Election Commission (PEC) begins since 7.00 and continues till the compiling of the protocol on the voting results and submission of relevant documents to the Constituency Election Commission (Con.EC) without recess.
1.1. On the voting day unused de-registration cards are counted till the commence of the voting, canceled by cutting half, put in separate envelopes and relevant act on this is compiled.
1.2. Before the commence of the voting election commissioners count ballot papers by the participation of observers and check that each of them has been stamped by the Central Election Commission.
1.3. Voters who vote with de-registration cards are not included in the voters lists and only de-registration cards are included in the voters lists and the number of those who vote with such cards is indicated in the protocol.
1.4. Before the commence of the voting the PEC first checks the equipment in the voting room, as well as information materials on the candidates and badges that are samples of completed ballot papers, oil lamps for reserve, candles, calculators, scissors, as well as writing techniques and takes relevant measures to eliminate the revealed shortages. Besides the chairman of the PEC organizes the fulfillment of duties related to the exercise of authorities defined by the legislation, he/she also conducts the working division among the PEC commissioners.
- meeting voters coming to the polling station, inspecting their ID cards and if necessary, providing them with the relevant comment on the rule for completing ballot papers;
- to conduct the registration of voters;
- providing voters with ballot papers and envelopes;
- control the protection of ballot boxes and voting booths;
- control the cast of envelopes in the ballot box by voters and opening and closing of the slot of the box when casting the envelope in the box.
1.5. Amendments can be made to the working division only on the mutual agreement of the PEC commissioners.
1.6. PEC commissioners must be sure of only the presence of authorized persons (the list of these persons shall be prepared), ensuring the security of the voting room, getting all the unnecessary things out of the voting room and presence of all the necessary materials and forms in their places.
1.7. Ballot papers and envelopes shall be preserved in secure place till submitting the relevant PEC commissioners.
2. After the PEC chairman shows the empty ballot box to the commissioners, persons implied by Articles 40.2 and 40.12 of the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, observers in the voting room, as well as representatives of mass media and locks it at 7.50, he/she invites the PEC commissioners to begin the voting.
2.1. After locking the ballot box an act is compiled by indicating the numbers on the locks and unused locks. The act is signed by the PEC chairman and secretaries.
2.2. The ballot box is placed in the place where the PEC commissioners and observers can observe without obstacle.
2.3. On the voting day registered candidates, their authorized representatives, agents, observers appointed till the Election Day by the candidate, authorized representatives of political parties, blocks of political parties and initiative groups and agents, as well as international observers, representatives of mass media shall have the right to observe all the actions in the polling station since the commence of the voting till the declaration of electoral results.
2.4. It is prohibited for public officials to be in the voting room excluding the cases of participation as voters in the voting.
2.5. On the Election Day the chairman of the commission can invite to the polling station police officials to restore the public tranquility according to the decision of the PEC. After the restore of the public tranquility they must leave immediately the polling station and implement their service at least at 100 meters out of the apartment located by the polling station.
2.6. If to restore the tranquility during the voting is not possible more than 6 hours, then the polling station shall be closed according to the decision of the Con.EC. The voting in such polling stations shall be considered invalid.
2.7. After the voter submits ID card or its substitute document to the PEC commissioner in order to vote gets ballot paper and the PEC commissioner indicates the serial number of his/her ID card (passport or its substitute document) in the voters list. While providing the voter with the ballot paper its numbered left corner is cut on the cut line by the PEC commissioner and is preserved by him/her. The voter is provided with the ballot paper stamped in advance together with the envelope and only the envelope is stamped.
2.8. The voter checks the accuracy of the writing and signs the voters list while getting the ballot paper. Each voter votes freely and alone. During the voting the voter unable to get the ballot paper independently or complete it can invite whoever he/she wants except the PEC commissioners, observers and persons implied by the item # 2 of the Instruction. The surname and initial of this person are indicated in the voters list by the voters` sign on getting the ballot paper.
2.9. Blind citizens with active suffrage come to the PECs and vote with set patterned means specially prepared for them.
2.10. The ballot paper is completed in the voting booth equipped with special techniques for secret ballot where no one can enter except the voter (except the persons implied by item # 2.6 of the Instruction). The voter puts the ballot paper in the envelope stamped by the PEC and casts it in the ballot box implied for the voting.
2.11. If the voter states that he/she has made error while completing the ballot paper, then he/she can ask the PEC commissioner who has provided him/her with the ballot paper to give a new ballot paper instead of the spoilt ballot paper. In this case, the election commissioner cancels the ballot paper by cutting half the spoilt ballot paper, puts it in a separate envelope and it is indicated relevantly on the right of the voter's surname. A separate act on this shall be compiled.
3. The PEC chairman controls the order in the voting place. Their orders are obligatory for the persons in the voting room. In the absence of the PEC chairman the PEC secretary or member of this commission charged with this duty shall substitute him/her.
3.1. The PEC commissioner who intends to influence the expression of the voters will and to discredit the secret ballot shall be removed from the activity by compiling the relevant act and the person implied by Article 40.2 and 40.4 of the Election Code shall leave the room without delay. If the voter under influence has not voted yet, then he/she is not allowed to vote, he/she shall give the ballot paper back and it shall be considered invalid.
3.2. The PEC chairman (secretaries) shall declare the number of voters participated in the voting every 3 hours and the Con.EC shall be reported on this.
3.3. The PEC provides the voters unable to come to the voting room because of health and other valid reasons with the facilities to participate. In this aim, there shall be a portable ballot box in each poling station.
4. The number of appeals on the voting of voters outside the voting room shall be approved by the Con.EC. While taking the portable ballot box to the relevant address it is locked (stamped) by the participation of observers and an act on this shall be compiled and the number of the lock is indicated in the act. In order to ensure the participation of voters in the voting outside the voting room at least two members of the PEC representing different political parties shall be approved once more by the participation of the observer in the written application sent to the PEC by the voter. If the voter has not expressed his/her intend to vote outside the voting room in the written form, then he/she must write an application before the PEC commissioners. The voter states that he/she has got the ballot paper and envelope and approves with his/her sign. In this case, the application should contain the serial number of the ID card or its substitute document. The application should also contain the information on voters in the voters lists.
4.1. The PEC commissioners with portable ballot boxes get ballot papers and envelopes according to the number of applications (appeals). This number should include 3 ballot papers and envelopes and these ballot papers could be used only in the case of spoiling the ballot paper. In this case, an act on the spoil of the ballot paper shall be compiled. The number of the ballot papers used related to the voters applications and returned back should be indicated in the act separately compiled. At the same time, the PEC commissioner shall separately indicate that the voter in the voters list votes outside the polling station. After the return of the portable ballot box to the voting room, this box should not be opened till the counting of votes and it slot is stamped.
4.2. Voting outside the voting room shall be so organized that the rules for citizens` right to vote, secret ballot and expression of voters will could not violated.
4.3. After the voting ends at 19.00, the PEC chairman loudly declares that "only voters who have got ballot papers and who are in the voting room can vote". In this case it shall be ensured that only voters stand in turn in the voting room till this advertisement shall vote. Before the opening ballot boxes, unused ballot papers are counted by the PEC commissioners by the observation of the observers in the voting room and canceled. The number of these ballot papers shall be declared and indicated in the final voting protocol. An act on this shall be compiled and the canceled ballot papers shall be attached to the act. Then ballot boxes are opened by turn.
4.4. When opening ballot boxes an act is compiled by indicating their locks and numbers and are put in separate envelopes.
4.5. Considered for ballot boxes but unused locks are counted, their numbers are indicated, put in envelopes, this envelope is stamped and an act on this is compiled, then it is submitted to the Con.EC together with election documents.
4.6. Counting of voters` votes shall be conducted directly without recess by the PEC chairman by the participation of the PEC commissioners till the end of the voting. In this case, each used ballot paper shall be stamped. All PEC commissioners and observers are made aware with the voting results.
4.7. Rules for the counting of votes and completion of the final protocol shall be regulated by Comment on "counting of votes and completion of the final protocol" for PECs approved by Article 106 of the Election Code and the Central Election Commission.