Article 15. Calling of Referendum
1. Calling and conducting of a referendum shall be mandatory if the procedure and the timing time terms for putting forward and implementation of the referendum initiative established by the federal constitutional law "On the Referendum of the Russian Federation", this Federal Law, the constitution (charter), a law of a subject of the Russian Federation, or the charter of a municipality according to the level of the referendum have been complied with in terms of both its advancement and implementation as prescribed by the federal constitutional law "On the Referendum of the Russian Federation", this Federal Law, the constitution (charter), a law of a subject of the Russian Federation, or the charter of a municipality.
2. The fact that Adoption by a body of state power, a governmental bodyinstitution, a body of local self-government of takes a decision on a issue question that may be submitted to a referendum shall not constitute a circumstance that precludes a possibility to holding of a referendum on this issuequestion.
3. A referendum of the Russian Federation shall be called in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation or a federal constitutional law.
4. A referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation shall be called by the legislative (representative) body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation in accordance with this Federal Law, other federal laws, the constitution (charter) or law of the subject of the Russian Federation.
5. A local referendum shall be called in accordance with this Federal Law, the constitution (charter) or law of a subject of the Russian Federation, the charter of a municipality by the representative body of local self-government; and by a court if such body is not available or have failed to make a decision within the required period.
6. Voting at a referendum may only be set on a Sunday. Voting shall not be set on the day preceding a holiday, on a holiday that is a day-off, on the day following a holiday that is a day-off holiday, or on a Sunday that hashave been duly announced in the established procedure to be a working day. A decision to hold a referendum of the Russian Federation, a referendum of a subject of the Russian Federation shall be officially published in the mass media not less than 60 days prior to the voting day of voting, a decision to hold a local referendum not less than 45 days prior to the voting day of voting.
7. Under a law of a subject of the Russian Federation, the charter of a municipality, and not later than 25 days prior to the referendum day, the voting day of voting at a referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, or at a local referendum may be postponed until a later date (but by not more than by 90 days) by a duly authorized body authorized to do so in order to hold such referendum on the same day as elections to elections of bodies of state power or bodies of local self-government, or another referendum.
8. A decision to announce a referendum or to put off the referendum voting day in accordance with Clause 7 of this article shall be published in mass media no later thannot later than five days after it was taken.
