Approved by the Decision 5/37
dated on June 30, 2003 of the Central Election
Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan

I N S T R U C T I O N
on rules for collecting and submitting voters signatures in support of the candidate to presidency, checking signature sheets and other election documents

Rules for collecting voters signatures in support of the candidate to presidency by the authorized representatives of the candidates, political parties, blocs of political parties, checking signature sheets and other election documents in the Central Election Commission are regulated by Articles 56-59 and 181 of the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

1. Collecting voters signatures in support of the candidate to presidency

1.1. Collecting voters signatures in support of the candidate to presidency nominated by voter initiative groups or self-nominated commences since providing the candidate, the authorized representatives with the decision approving the nomination of the candidate to presidency of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Central Election Commission. But collecting voters signatures in support of the candidate nominated by political parties, blocs of political parties commences after the well-based decision of the Central Election Commission on approval of the candidate to presidency.
1.2. Not less than forty five thousand voters signatures must be collected in support of the candidate to presidency. At least 50 signatures must be collected from the territory of each constituency not less than 60.
1.3. Signature sheets shall be prepared by the Central Election Commission in the form defined by the Appendices 2 and 2”A” noted by the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
1.4. State bodies, municipalities, legal entities regardless their property form are not allowed to participate in collection of signatures. In the process of collecting signatures to make voters sign, to prevent to sign, or to reward them for this shall be prohibited. Not observing to this ban can be approved by the court, this can be basis for regarding the collected signatures invalid and refusal from registration of candidates, registered candidates.
1.5. Only a citizen aged 18 with equal suffrage of the Republic of Azerbaijan is allowed to collect voters signatures. The candidate, political parties, blocs of political parties are allowed to sign an agreement on collecting signatures with the person collecting voters signatures. The payment for this can be paid only from election fund of the candidate, political parties, blocs of political parties.
1.6. Each signature sheet must contain surname, name, patronymic name, date of birth, main job or current position (if he/she does not have it, kind of occupation), address of residence. If the candidate was sentenced and did not serve or cancelled, then the article of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan that sentenced him, name and number of this article, in the case of committing crime action by the candidate abroad and imposing liability implied by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and passing court sentence on this that came into force, then the name of the relevant law of the foreign country must be noted on signature sheets. Signature sheet shall contain the name of political party noted by the candidate on the agreement application on nomination.
1.7. While providing candidates, their authorized representatives, voter initiative groups, authorized representatives of political parties, blocs of political parties with signature sheets, their equal status must be ensured. Therefore the number of submitted signature sheets should not exceed 15 percent of total number of voters signatures necessary for the registration of the candidate to presidency by the Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
1.8. A citizen who has 18 years old and active suffrage of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall enjoy the right to collect voters signatures and put his signature on signature sheet in support of the candidate. One voter is allowed to put his signature in support of one candidate only.
1.9. When putting his signature on the signature sheet a voter indicates his surname, name, patronymic name, date of birth, address of residence, serial number of ID card or document that substitutes it, its date of submission, date of signature. Information on voters who put their signatures that is necessary to be stated can be included in the signature sheets by the person collecting the signatures. The stated information must be written in hand and guaranteed not to be disseminated.
1.10. The following are recognized as ID documents of the voter putting his signature in support of the candidate to presidency: ID card of the citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, citizens` passports of former USSR, serviceman’s identification card of the soldier, sergeant in military service, officer identification cards of military officers, form #9(document that substitutes ID card), ID cards prepared by the State Committee on IDP issues in the case of not having other ID cards for IDPs.
1.11. While indicating the date of birth of the voter putting signature it should be considered that the day and month of birth of the person aged 18 must be surely indicated. Voters signatures collected without meeting this requirement shall be regarded invalid and should not counted in the total number of signatures.
1.12. Name and number of the constituency (election area) where voters signatures are collected must be indicated on upper left side of each signature sheet by the person collecting signatures.
1.13. Voters signatures can be collected in educational institutions, settlements, as well as in other places where the conduct of pre-election campaign is not prohibited by the law.
1.14. If the authorized representative of the candidate, political parties, blocs of political parties signs an agreement on collecting signatures with the person collecting signatures, the payment for this can be paid only from the election fund of the candidate, political parties, blocs of political parties.
1.15. To put signature in support of the candidate to presidency is voluntary. To make the voter sign by any means (using physical or psychological force, or destroying the property with the menace to use such force, or deception with the menace to require this property and so on) shall be strictly prohibited and such behavior imposes liability specified by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
1.16. The person collecting signatures can complete the information about the voter on the signature sheet instead of him/her only by his/her consent. But the right to sign and put date shall be vested only in the voter. The person collecting signatures must write the information about himself by hand on the signature sheet.
1.17. After collecting signatures signature sheet shall be signed by the person collecting signatures and the candidate. Before signing the signature sheet the person collecting signatures indicates surname, name, patronymic name, address of residence, serial number of ID cards or document that substitutes it, date of issue.
1.18. In the case of nominating the candidate by political parties, blocs of political parties, the signature sheet shall be signed by the person collecting signatures and the authorized representatives of political parties, blocs of political parties after collecting signatures. Before putting signature on the signature sheet the person collecting signatures first indicates his/her surname, name, patronymic name, address of residence, serial number of ID card or the document that substitutes it, date of issue, but the authorized representative indicates his/her surname, name, patronymic name and date of signature.
1.19. After written reporting to the Central Election Commission by political parties, blocs of political parties, voter initiative groups on nomination of the same person by them they can collect jointly voters signatures at the necessary number in support of the candidate. In this case canvassing voters signatures collected by various persons is permitted.
1.20. The authorized representatives of voter initiative groups nominating candidates, candidate himself, political parties and blocs of political parties must count the number of voters signatures collected in support of the candidate to presidency, compile the final protocol on the results of collecting voters signatures and sign them.