Approved by the
Decision
# 07/53 of the Central Election Commission
of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated on July
2, 2004
INSTRUCTION
on the rules
for collecting voters signatures in support
of the approved candidate and their submission
to the Constituency Election Commission in Elections
to the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
During Elections to the Milli Majlis of the
Republic of Azerbaijan rules for the collection
of voters signatures in support of the approved
candidate (hereafter referred to as - candidate)
and their submission to the Constituency Election
Commission (Con.EC) shall
be regulated by Articles 56-58 and 147 of the
Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
I. Collection of voters signatures in support
of the candidate during Elections to the Milli
Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
1.1. Collection
of voters signatures in support of candidates
nominated by political parties or block of political
parties, voters initiative groups or their own
initiatives shall begin after the relevant election
commission provides candidates or their authorized
representatives with the decision that approves
the nomination of the candidate.
1.2. At least 450 signatures shall be collected
in support of the candidate within the territory
of the constituency the candidate has been nominated
for.
1.3. The participation of legal entities in
the collection of signatures shall be prevented
regardless of state bodies, municipalities or
kind of property. During the process of signature
collection to make voters to sign, prevent them
from signing or to award them for this shall
be prohibited. If the relevant court approves
breaking of this prohibition, then it will cause
the consideration of the collected signatures
invalid and refusal from the registration of
the candidate.
1.4. Each citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan
with active suffrage shall have the right to
sign on the signature sheet in support of the
candidate. The voter can sign in support of
several candidates nominated within the territory
of the constituency settled by him/her.
1.5. Citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan aged
18 with active suffrage can collect voters signatures.
The candidate, political party or block of the
political party can sign an agreement on the
collection of signatures with the person collecting
signatures. The payment for this work shall
be paid only by the election fund of the candidate,
political party or blocks of political parties.
1.6. The voter shall indicate the his/her surname,
name, patronymic, date of birth, address of
residence, serial number of ID card or its substitute
document, date of issue and date of sign in
the signature sheet. The person collecting signatures
can fill the information concerning the voter
instead of him/her only with the voter’s consent
(excluding the signature and date of sign).
Only the voter shall have the right to sign
and put date. Above-mentioned information shall
be written by hand and it should be ensured
not to disseminate it.
1.7. The followings are considered as the document
that approves voter identity signing in support
of the candidate: citizens` ID card of the Republic
of Azerbaijan, former USSR passport, military
card of the soldier or sergeant on real military
service, identity document of officers, cards
for IDPs prepared by the State IDPs Committee
(if they have not other documents).
1.8. All information about the voter on signature
sheet shall be indicated in appropriate columns.
Signature collection without meeting this requirement
shall be considered invalid and will not be
counted in total number of signatures.
1.9. The number and name of the constituency
where voters signatures have been collected
shall be indicated in upper left side of each
signature sheet by the person collecting signatures.
1.10. Voters signatures can be collected in
education institutes, places of residence, as
well as in other places where the conduct of
pre-election campaign has not been prohibited.
1.11. To sign in support of the candidate shall
be voluntary. To make the voter to sign by any
means (by physical or psychological force or
threaten by applying such force, requiring property
or deceive by the menace to require this property)
shall be prohibited and such behavior shall
be subjected to liability implied by the Criminal
Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
1.12. Signature sheet shall be signed by the
person collecting signatures, the candidate
or the authorized representative if appointed
after the collection of signatures. Before signing,
the person collecting signatures shall indicate
his/her surname, name, patronymic, serial number
of ID card or its substitute document and date
of issue on signature sheet.
1.13. If the candidate has been nominated by
political parties, blocks of political parties
then after the collection of signatures, the
signature sheet shall be signed by the candidate,
the person collecting signatures and authorized
representatives of political parties or blocks
of political parties. Before signing, the person
collecting signatures shall indicate his/her
surname, name, serial number of ID card or its
substitute document, date of issue in the signature
sheet and the relevant authorized representative
shall indicate his/her surname, name, patronymic
and date of sign.
1.14. After political parties, blocks of political
parties and voters initiative groups submit
written apply to the relevant election commission
on the nomination of the same person, they can
collect voters signatures in necessary number
together. In this case, summing up voters signatures
is allowed.
1.15. The candidate or authorized representatives
of the candidate, political parties and blocks
of political parties shall count the voters
signatures collected in support of the nominated
candidate, compile and sign the final protocol
on the collection of voters signatures (protocol
sample shall be attached this Instruction).
1.16. Voters sheets submitted to the Con.EC
shall be numbered and made up as a folder.
II. Submission of
election documents for candidate registration
2.1. The candidate or the authorized representative
of the candidate, political parties and blocks
of political parties shall submit the following
election documents for the candidate registration
to the Con.EC at most 105 days and at least
70 days till 18.00 p.m. prior to the voting
day.
- signature sheets containing voters signatures
collected in support of the candidate;
- 2 copies of the final protocol on the results
of the collection of voters signatures attached
the Instruction;
- notification on changes made to the information
about the candidate in candidate’s application
on commitment (Articles 53.3 and 54.8);
- information pursuant to Information form on
the amount and source of Candidate’s income
attached the Instruction on the amount and source
of candidate’s income for a year after the appointment
of elections;
- notification on annual sum of these incomes
from organizations where income has been achieved
from;
- property information of the candidate compiled
in conformity with Appendice # 5 made to the
Election Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
- candidate’s initial financial report including
the information on the funds spent for the organization
of the collection of voters signatures.
2.2. A bank document on transfer of voluntary
registration deposit at the amount of 3% of
the relevant election fund’s threshold to the
account of the election commission carrying
out the registration can be presented to the
relevant election commission when submitting
the election documents for registration of a
candidate. Cases of return of the registration
deposit by the election commission shall be
determined by Article 60.5 of the Election Code.
2.3. Con.ECs receive signature sheets during
the period implied by the Election Code of the
Republic of Azerbaijan since 9.00 a.m. till
18.00 p.m. Signature sheets submitted after
the period defined by legislation should not
be received.
2.4. When receiving election documents, the
Con.EC shall approve each folder containing
signature sheets with stamp, checks if the number
of the number of the submitted signature sheets
match with the number recorded in the protocol
on the result of collection of signatures, then
having recorded the number of the received election
documents, as well as of signature sheets and
the number of signatures in signature sheets,
submits a written notification on the receipt
of documents. After being signed by the member
of election commission, the candidate or the
authorized representative of the candidate,
political parties or blocks of political parties,
the notification shall be sealed by the stamp
of the Con.EC. A copy of the notification shall
be submitted to the candidate or the authorized
representative who submitted election documents.
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