§ Article 30(untitled)

penness in Commissions Activities

 1. Members of superior commissions and employees of their administration, candidate
registered by this or superior commission or his attorney, authorized representative or attorney
of election association which list of candidates is registered by this or superior commission, or
candidate out of this list, member or authorized representative of referendum initiative group
have the right to attend , a candidate registered by the given or a higher commission or his
agent, an authorized representative or an agent of the election association, electoral bloc
whose list of candidates has been registered by this or a higher commission or a candidate
from the said list, a member or an authorized representative of the referendum initiative group
may attend all meetings of the commission and present at counting of votes of voters,
referendum participants and observe work of precinct, territorial commission with list of voters,
referendum participants, ballots, absentee certificates, protocols of voting results. The
aforementioned persons shall not need any additional permission to attend the meetings and
be present when the election commission is working with the said election documents and
documents related to preparation and conduct of referendum. Commission shall ensure
notification and free access for such persons to its meetings and to premises where it counts
votes of voters, referendum participants and work with mentioned election documents and
documents related to preparation and conduct of referendum. Representatives of mass media
have the right to present at all meetings of commission and observe its work with mentioned
documents and counting of votes of voters, referendum participants.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 2. Decisions of commissions that are directly related to preparation and conduct of
elections, a referendum shall be published in national or municipal print periodicals or otherwise
communicated to voters, referendum participants and sent to other mass media in scope and
within the period established by the law. When publishing (communicating) decisions of election
commissions that contain data on candidates, the following data is not subject to publication:
series and number of passport of candidate or document equivalent to citizen’s passport, date
of its issue, name or code of body that issued passport or document equivalent to citizen’s
passport, and instead of residential address of candidate the name of the subject of the
Russian Federation, region, city or other settlement where he resides shall be stated.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 1, 2010, No.133-FZ)

 3. On the voting day from the time the precinct commission begins its work and until it is
notified by superior commission of acceptance of the protocol of voting results and also during
repeat counting of votes of voters, referendum participants persons referred to in Clause 1 of
this Article as well as observers, foreign (international) observers may present at election
precincts, referendum precincts.

 4. During elections conduct an observer may be appointed by a registered candidate,
election association that nominated registered candidate, registered candidates, election
association that registered the list of candidates. The law may prescribe a possibility of
appointment of observers by other public associations. During referendum conduct an observer
may be appointed by referendum initiative group, public association that shall be created and
registered at a level corresponding to referendum level or superior level. Elected officials,
deputies, higher officials of the subjects of the Russian Federation (heads of high executive
body of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation), heads of local administrations,
persons directly subordinate to them, judges, prosecutors, voting members of commissions
cannot be appointed observers.
(Clause 4 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 205, No.93-FZ)

 5. Access to the premises of the precinct commission of in any election precinct,
referendum precinct formed on the territory of a military unit, closed administrative-territorial
unit, at a hospital, sanatorium, holiday hotel, investigation and pretrial detention wards and to
CDL-REF(2012)008 - 56 -

the polling station in this election precinct, referendum precinct shall be provided to all members
of the precinct commission, persons indicated in Clause 1 of this article, observers.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, №.93-FZ)

 6. Observers, foreign (international) observers may be present at other commissions
when they conduct early voting, establish voting results, results of elections, compiling
corresponding protocols of voting results, election results or when votes of voters, referendum
participants are being recounted.

 7. The powers of an observer shall be certified by written credentials issued by a
registered candidate or his attorney, election association, public association, referendum
initiative group which interests the observer represents. The credentials shall contain the
surname, first name and patronymic of the observer; residential address; number of the election
precinct; name of the election commission (district, territorial, precinct election commission) to
which the observer is sent as well as the note on absence of restrictions referred to in Clause 4
of this Article. Provision of any additional information on the observer shall not be required and
the credentials need not be certified by a seal if the observer is appointed by a candidate or his
attorney. These credentials shall be valid if produced together with a document certifying the
identity of the observer. An advance notice of sending of an observer shall not be required.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 8. The document indicated in Clause 7 of this Article may be presented to a precinct
commission in the period indicated in Clause 3 of this Article, to a territorial or another
commission - at early voting or in the period from the commencement of voting at election
precincts, referendum precincts to the completion of the final protocol for the corresponding
territory. Two or more observers representing the same registered candidate, election
association, public association, referendum initiative group shall not simultaneously exercise
their powers in the premises of the commission, at the polling station. No restrictions other than
those established by this Federal Law shall be established in relation to presence of observers
at polling station, observation of the voting process, counting of votes of voters, referendum
participants, preparation of protocols of voting results, and the issue of copies of protocols of
voting results.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 9. Observers shall be entitled to:
 a) inspect list of voters, referendum participantss, lists of referendum participants
registry of absentee certificates issue, absentee certificates at commission disposal, registry of
applications on voting outside polling station;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 b) be present at polling stations of corresponding election precinct, referendum precinct
on the voting day as well as on early voting days at any time during the period specified
in Clause 3 of this Article;
 b1) observe issue of ballots to voters, referendum participants;
(Paragraph “b1” introduced by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 c) attend at voting of voters, referendum participants outside polling station;
 d) watch the number of citizens being entered in the lists of voters, referendum
participants, ballots being issued to voters, referendum participants, canceled ballots being
counted; watch votes cast by voters, referendum participants being counted at the polling
station at elections, a referendum from a distance and under conditions which allow them to
see the marks made by voters, referendum participants in the ballots; inspect any marked and
unmarked ballot when votes cast by voters, referendum participants are being counted; watch
the commission preparing the protocol of voting results and other documents during the period
indicated in Clause 3 of this Article;
 - 57 - CDL-REF(2012)008

 e) apply to the chairman of the precinct commission, and in the event of the chairman’s
absence, to the person acting in the chairman’s capacity, and make proposals and comments
regarding the organization of the voting procedure;
 f) inspect the protocols of corresponding commission, subordinate commissions of
voting results, results of elections, referendum and documents attached thereto, receive from
corresponding commission certified copies of such protocols;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 g) wear a badge indicating the observer’s status, surname, first name, patronymic, and
also surname, first name, patronymic of the registered candidate or the name of the election
association, public association that sent observer to commission. The law may prescribe that
the form of such badge shall be established by the commission organizing elections,
referendum;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 h) appeal, in the procedure established by Article 75 of this Federal Law, actions
(inaction) of a commission to superior commission, election commission of the subject of the
Russian Federation, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation or a court;
 i) be present when the appropriate commissions are recounting votes cast by voters,
referendum participants.

 10. An observer shall not:
 a) issue ballots to voters or referendum participants;
 b) sign for a voter, referendum participant for receipt of ballots even when asked to do
so by the voter, referendum participant;
 c) complete mark ballots for a voter, referendum participant even upon his request;
 d) do anything violating the secrecy of balloting;
 e) directly participate in ballot counting conducted by voting members of the
commission;
 f) do anything interfering with the work of the commission;
 g) conduct campaigning among voters, referendum participants;
 h) participate in taking decisions by corresponding commission.

 11. Representatives of mass media participating in information coverage of preparation
and conduct of elections, referenda are entitled to:
 a) attend commissions meetings;
 b) inspect protocols of voting results prepared by precinct commissions and protocols of
other commissions of voting results, results of elections, referendum, included repeat ones,
receive from corresponding commission copies of such protocols and documents attached
thereto;
 c) present at campaign events, cover their conduct;
 d) present at polling station on the voting day, days of early voting, and produce photo
and video footage.
(Clause 11 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ

 12. Copies of protocols and other documents of commissions shall be certified by the
chairman, or the deputy chairman, or the secretary of corresponding commission. In this case,
a person certifying the copy of document makes a note on such copy: “True” or “True copy”,
sings, puts his surname and initials, date and time of copy certification and affixes the seal of
corresponding commission.
(Clause 12 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 13. Foreign (international) observers shall receive the permit to enter the Russian
Federation in the manner provided for by the federal law and, if invited by the bodies of state
power, commissions organizing elections, referendum, they shall be accredited by the Central
Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Foreign (international) observers shall conduct
their activities in compliance with the federal law.
CDL-REF(2012)008 - 58 -