(1) The National Election Office shall verify the signatures. Signatures on signature sheets submitted within the meaning of subsection (4) of section 19, and signatures collected in breach of section 16 shall not be verified by the National Election Office.

(2) When several questions having the same content have to be certified, the verification of the signatures on the sheets which were submitted first shall be done.

(3) When verifying the signatures, compliance with the requirements as set out in section 15 shall be examined, the citizens giving their signatures shall be identified, the fact whether these citizens have the right to vote shall be established, and the number of valid signatures shall be stated.

(4) The identification of the citizen giving his signature for the initiative, and the statement whether he has the right to vote, shall be done by comparing the data relating to him on the signature sheet with the data in the central electoral register.

(5) The itemized verification of the signatures must continue until it becomes ascertained

a) that the number of valid signatures attains two hundred thousand, or

b) that the number of valid signatures remains under one hundred thousand, or

c) that the number of valid signatures attains one hundred thousand but does not attain two hundred thousand.

(6) If a final resolution, under subsection (3) of section 22, of the National Election Commission states that the number of valid signatures is at least two hundred thousand, or if the National Assembly have taken their final decision ordering the referendum by virtue of the second sentence of subsection (1) of Article 8 of the Fundamental Law, the itemized verification of the signatures in the case of a referendum initiative having the same content shall not be carried out.

(7) If a final resolution, under subsection (3) of section 22, of the National Election Commission states that the number of valid signatures is at least two hundred thousand, but the decision of the National Assembly ordering the referendum does not become final by virtue of section 33 of Act CLI of 2011 on the Constitutional Court, the verification of the signatures in the case of a referendum initiative having the same content shall be carried out after that the resolution of the Constitutional Court has been published.

(8) While establishing the number of signatures, the number of citizens supporting the submission for certification of the initiative shall also be taken account of.

(9) The National Election Office shall inform the National Election Commission about the result of the verification of the signatures.