§ Article 15(untitled)

alling of Referendum

 1. Calling and conducting of a referendum shall be mandatory if the procedure and the
terms for bringing 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 (statute), a law of the subject of the Russian Federation, or the statute of a
municipal formation are observed.

 2. The decision of a body of state power, other state body, a body of local self-
government to the point of an question to be brought up to a referendum shall not constitute a
circumstance that prevents conduct of a referendum with regards to this question.

 3. A referendum of the Russian Federation shall be called in accordance with the
Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal constitutional law.

 4. A referendum of the 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 law, the constitution (statute) or law of the
subject of the Russian Federation.

 5. A local referendum shall be called in accordance with this Federal Law, the
constitution (statute) or law of the subject of the Russian Federation, the statute of a municipal
formation by the representative body of municipal formation; and by a court if such body does
not exist or does not take a decision within the established term.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 6. Voting at a referendum may only be set on 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 Sunday that was declared a working day in the stipulated manner. A decision
to conduct a referendum of the Russian Federation, a referendum of the subject of the Russian
Federation shall be officially published in the mass media not less than in 60 days prior to the
voting day, a decision to conduct a local referendum - not less than in 45 days prior to the
voting day.

 7. Under the law of the subject of the Russian Federation, the statute of a municipal
formation, and not later than in 25 days prior to the referendum day, the voting day at a
referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, or at a local referendum may be
postponed until a later date (but by no more than 90 days) by an authorized body in order to
conduct such referendum on the same day as the voting in elections to bodies of state power or
bodies of local self-government, or as the voting day at another called referendum.

 8. A decision to call a referendum or to postpone a referendum voting day in
accordance with Clause 7 of this Article shall be published in mass media no later than in five
days after it was taken.
CDL-REF(2012)008 - 18 -

 Chapter III. GUARANTEES OF RIGHTS OF CITIZENS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
 AT REGISTRATION (ACCOUNT) OF VOTERS, REFERENDUM PARTICIPANTS,
 PREPARATION OF LISTS OF VOTERS, REFERENDUM PARTICIPANTS,
 FORMATION OF ELECTORAL DISTRICTS, ELECTION PRECINCTS
 AND REFERENDUM PRECINCTS