Approved by Decision
# 13/45
of Central Election Commission
of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated on July
4, 2005
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 bloc of political
parties, voters initiative groups or on 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 force voters to sign, prevent
them from signing or to award them for this
shall be prohibited. If the relevant court approves
violation 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 bloc 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 blocs of political parties.
1.6. The voter shall indicate 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:
a) for civic persons:
- ID card of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
- Temporary ID card of citizen of the Republic
of Azerbaijan;
- cards for IDPs prepared by the State IDPs
Committee (if they have not other documents).
b) For officers:
- military card of the soldier or sergeant on
real military service;
- identity document of officers;
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. 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.
1.11. Signature sheet shall be signed by the
person collecting signatures, the candidate
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.
1.12. If the candidate has been nominated by
political parties, blocs 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 blocs
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.
1.13. Initiators who nominate candidate nomination,
authorized representatives of the candidate
or political party, political party blocs shall
count voters signatures collected in support
of the nominated candidate.
1.14. 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 blocs
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
to 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 to 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 can be submitted
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 do not form
the same legal consequences as signature sheets
submitted in time defined by legislation. Con.EC
shall make official this case by its decision.
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 blocs of political parties,
the reference shall be sealed by the stamp of
the Con.EC. A copy of the reference shall be
submitted to the candidate or the authorized
representative who submitted election documents.
