Submission and verification of signatures collecting lists

(1) No later than the last day of the period for collecting signatures, the initiative group draws up minutes, in which indicates the date of registration of the initiative group, the number of collected signatures and the closing date for the collection of signatures. The minutes, signed by the members of the initiative group, and the signatures collecting lists shall be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission. After receiving and recording signatures collecting lists, the Commission shall not permit the submission of additional signatures collecting lists.

(2) Within 30 days of submission of the signatures collecting lists, the Central Electoral Commission shall verify the authenticity of the signatures on the submitted lists, within the limit of the number laid down in Article 183. In order to check the signatures collecting lists, the electoral body shall use the electronic application.

(3) Members of the initiative group executive board and the accredited observers shall be entitled to assist in verification of the signatures collecting lists submitted to the Commission. The members of the executive board of the initiative group shall only be entitled to assist in checking the signatures collecting lists which they have drawn up. The requirements for assisting at the verification of the signatures collecting lists shall be established in the guide laid down in Article 67 (2).

(4) After checking the signatures collecting lists, the Central Electoral Commission shall issue a decision on the initiation of the Republican Referendum. The Central Electoral Commission minutes on the verification of the signatures collecting lists and the decision on the initiation of the referendum shall be sent to the Permanent Bureau of the Parliament within 3 days.

(5) If the necessary number of signatures has not been submitted, the Central Electoral Commission shall adopt a decision rejecting the proposal to organise the Republican Referendum and cancel the registration of the initiative group.

(6) The signatures collecting list shall be invalidated entirely if:

a) is of a different template or series (number) than that issued to the collector by the Commission;

b) is not being signed by the collector;

c) does not contain the text of the question.

(7) The signature from the signatures collecting list shall be invalidated if the supporter: a) recorded personal data but did not affix the signature; b) is not eligible to vote at the date of signing on the signatures collecting list; c) entered his/her data from an expired identity document; d) is being assigned to another second-level Electoral District than the territory where signatures have been collected, in the case of the constitutional republican referendum; e) entered incorrect identity data on the signatures collecting list, thus not being possible identify him/her.