§ Electoral Code art. 81Counting and totalisation of votes by the electoral bureau of the polling

Counting and totalisation of votes by the electoral bureau of the polling
station
(1) Upon expiry of the voting time, the chairperson of the electoral bureau of the polling
station shall declare the vote closed and order the polling station to be closed. The electoral
bureau of the polling station shall start counting the votes.
(2) Before ballot boxes are opened, all remaining unused ballot papers shall be
counted and cancelled by the electoral bureau of the polling station, in accordance with the
procedure laid down by the Central Electoral Commission, and shall be separately tied and
sealed.
(3) Before counting the votes obtained by the electoral competitors or those expressed
in the case of referendum options, the electoral bureau of the polling station shall determine
the number of voters, to whom the ballot papers have been issued, based on the number of
voters on the electoral roll (basic, additional lists and lists for voting at the place of residence)
next to the name to which the signature has been affixed.
(4) After checking the seals on the ballot boxes, the chairperson of the electoral bureau
of the polling station, in the presence of the electoral officials of the bureau and the persons
authorised to attend electoral operations, shall open the ballot boxes. First, the mobile ballot
boxes shall be opened, then the ballot papers inside them shall be counted, after which the
other boxes shall be opened.
(5) The polling section shall be provided with sufficient tables to ensure that all ballot
papers in the ballot box are counted in a single place visible to all members of the electoral
bureau of the polling station and those present. To count the votes, pennants with the name
or names of the electoral competitors, and in the case of referenda with ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ options
shall be arranged on the tables.
(6) Ballot papers in mobile ballot boxes shall first be counted separately, shall be
confronted with the number of ballot papers issued for that purpose, and then be added to the
other ballot papers to count the votes obtained by electoral competitors or those cast in the
case of ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ options in the referendum.
(7) According to a procedure established by the Central Electoral Commission, the
members of the electoral bureau of the polling station shall check the ballot papers and
determine for which electoral competitor or referendum option the vote has been cast. Ballot
papers with votes cast for each electoral competitor or referendum option shall be counted
and tied separately and the results of the counting, once established, shall be recorded in the
minutes of the vote count.
(8) Members of the Electoral Bureau, before signing the minutes on the results of the
vote count, shall give persons authorised to attend electoral operations the opportunity to
verify the data in the minutes.
(9) The electoral bureau of the polling station shall not include invalid ballot papers in
the total number of valid votes cast.
(10) As from the closure of the polling station, the electoral bureau of the polling station
shall remain in the sitting during the counting of votes and the drawing up of minutes and
report of the electoral bureau. Electoral officials of the electoral bureau of the polling station
shall remain at the polling station and participate in electoral operations, except in exceptional
and objective circumstances.