§ Article 7Formation of the Central Electoral Commission

1. The Seimas shall set up the Central Electoral Commission no later than 200 days and no earlier than 140 days after regular or early elections to the Seimas.
2. The Central Electoral Commission shall be also set up by the Seimas after the latter adopts a resolution pursuant to Article 10(1)(10) of this Law to terminate the powers of the Central Electoral Commission. The Central Electoral Commission set up in this way shall retain its powers until a new Central Electoral Commission will be set up pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article.
3. The Central Electoral Commission shall be composed of:
1) the Commission Chairperson;
2) two persons with the university law degree who are nominated by the Minister of Justice and appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot;
3) two persons with the university law degree who are nominated by the Lithuanian Lawyer’s Association and appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot;
4) two persons with the university degree who are nominated by the President of the Republic and appointed by the Seimas by secret ballot;
5) the persons nominated by the parties which have received mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency, where such persons have the university degree and the experience of working in electoral committees and referendum committees, which organise and conduct elections to the Seimas, presidential elections, elections to municipal councils, elections to the European Parliament, referendums.
4. Prior to the formation of the Central Electoral Commission, the parties (coalitions) which have received mandates of the Seimas members in the multi-member constituency shall each have the right to nominate one representative to the Central Electoral Commission from one list of candidates (joint list) nominated in the multi-member constituency.
5. If the representatives nominated by the parties meet the requirements specified in point 5 of paragraph 3 of this Article and Article 6 of this Law, the Seimas may not reject the nominees.
6. In all cases, persons appointed to the Central Electoral Commission from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice, the President of the Republic and the Lithuanian Lawyer’s Association must make up not less than the number of Central Electoral Commission members nominated by the political parties (coalitions). If the number of such persons is smaller, the number of the Commission members shall be increased in equal numbers from among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Lawyer’s Association.
7. Upon the recommendation of the Seimas Speaker, the Seimas shall appoint the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission by secret ballot. The duties of the Commission Chairperson shall not be compatible with any other duties in state institutions, agencies, as well as with work in business, commercial and other private enterprises or agencies. He may not receive any other payment except the salary fixed for him for the work in the Central Electoral Commission and the payment for creative activities as well as the payment for pedagogical and scientific activities. Payments made to the Commission Chairperson for creative activities shall comprise royalties for the works of art and the performance thereof, for articles and books, for the material for radio and television programmes.
8. The Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission as well as the members thereof appointed to the Commission by nomination of the Minister of Justice, the President of the Republic and the Lithuanian Lawyer’s Association, must suspend their membership in any party of which they are members, and may not take part in the activities thereof during the period of their work on the Central Electoral Commission.
9. The Central Electoral Commission shall, on the recommendation of its Chairperson and with consent of his Deputies, determine whether they work only on the Central Electoral Commission according to their duties. Having established that the Deputy Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission work only on the Central Electoral Commission according to their duties, the same restrictions on the work and payment for work set for the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission shall also apply to them.
10. The duties of the Chairperson and members of the Central Electoral Commission shall not be compatible with the duties at other electoral or referendum committees and with the status of a candidate for Seimas member, a candidate to the office of the President of the Republic or his agent, candidates for municipal councillors and their representatives or election or referendum observers as well as with the status of a member of an initiative group of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania for the holding of a referendum or of a municipal councillor.
11. The Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission or its member who intends to be a candidate for Seimas member, candidate to the office of the President of the Republic or his agent, candidate for municipal councillor or chairman or member of another electoral or referendum committee, a member of an initiative group of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania for the holding of a referendum, an election or referendum observer, a representative for the election or referendum, must, before giving an appropriate consent or starting to collect citizens’ signatures, submit, not later than 30 days in advance, to the Seimas a written application to resign from the position of the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission or its member. The Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission or its member who has not satisfied such requirement, shall, by decision of the Seimas, be dismissed from the position of the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission or its member and shall not be registered as a candidate for Seimas member, candidate to the office of the President of the Republic or his agent, candidate for municipal councillor, or such registration shall be cancelled.