§ Article 36(untitled)

rocedure for Implementation of Initiative to Conduct Referendum of the
Subject of the Russian Federation, Local Referendum

 1. Each citizen of the Russian Federation or group of citizens entitled to participate in a
corresponding referendum shall be entitled to form a referendum initiative group, the number of
members in the group being not less than 20 persons entitled to participate in a referendum, for
putting forward an initiative to conduct a referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation,
and not less than 10 for putting forward an initiative to conduct a local referendum.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 2. A referendum initiative group shall submit an application for registration of the group
to the election commission of corresponding level that shall, as of the day of such submission,
act as a referendum commission.

 3. The application of a referendum initiative group shall contain question (questions)
proposed by the referendum initiative group, and contain surname, first name and patronymic,
date and place of birth, series, number and the date of issue of the passport or document
equivalent to a passport of a citizen, name or code of the issuing body, and residential address
of each member of the initiative group and each person authorized to act on its behalf in the
territory in which the referendum is to be conducted. The application of the initiative group shall
be signed by all members of the said group.

 4. Attached to the application shall be the minutes of the meeting of the referendum
initiative group at which a decision was taken to put forward an initiative to conduct a
referendum.
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 5. Within 15 days after receipt of the application of the referendum initiative group, the
commission referred to in Clause 2 of this Article shall consider this application and the
attached documents and decide as follows:
 if the application and the documents meet the requirements of this Federal Law, the
constitution (statute), the law of the subject of the Russian Federation, the statute of the
municipal formation, to forward thereof to the legislative (representative) body of state power of
the subject of the Russian Federation or to the representative body of municipal formation
authorized by the constitution (statute), the law of the subject of the Russian Federation, the
statute of a municipal formation to make a decision to call a referendum;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ) otherwise, to refuse to register
the initiative group.

 6. The legislative (representative) body of state power of the subject of the Russian
Federation or the representative body of municipal formation referred to in Clause 5 of this
Article, shall make sure that the question proposed for a referendum of the subject of the
Russian Federation, a local referendum meets the requirements of Article 12 of this Federal
Law in accordance with a procedure and within the period established by the law of the subject
of the Russian Federation, the statute of the municipal formation. This period shall not exceed
20 days from the day on which the application for a referendum and the attached documents
were submitted to corresponding body by the referendum initiative group.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, №.93-FZ)

 7. Within 5 days after an application of an initiative group to conduct a referendum in the
subject of the Russian Federation and attached documents are received, the legislative
(representative) body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation shall notify the
President of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the
Government of the Russian Federation and the Central Election Commission of the Russian
Federation of this initiative.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 8. If the legislative (representative) body of state power or the representative body of
municipal formation establishes that the question to be put to a referendum meets the
requirements of Article 12 of this Federal Law, the commission indicated in Clause 2 of this
Article shall register the referendum initiative group, issue a registration certificate to the group
and inform the mass media about this. A decision to register a referendum initiative group shall
be taken within fifteen days of the date when the legislative (representative) body of state power
or the representative body of municipal formation establishes that the question to be put to a
referendum meets the requirements of Article 12 of this Federal Law.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 9. A registration certificate the form of which shall be approved by the election
commission of the subject of the Russian Federation and which is issued to the referendum
initiative group, shall be valid for the period established by the law of the subject of the Russian
Federation, the statute of the municipal formation.

 10. If a dispute arises over the competence in connection with the initiative to conduct a
referendum in the subject of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation,
the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the State Duma of
the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation
shall be entitled to suggest that the body which established that the question shall be put to a
referendum meets the requirements of Article 12 of this Federal Law form a conciliatory
commission. Representatives of the referendum initiative group in the subject of the Russian
Federation shall be entitled to participate in the work of the conciliatory commission. The period
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indicated in Clause 8 of this Article shall be extended for as long as the conciliatory commission
operates.

 11. If legislative (representative) body of state power of the subject of the Russian
Federation or representative body of municipal formation establishes that the question to be put
to a referendum does not meet the requirements of Article 12 of this Federal Law, the
commission indicated in Clause 2 of this Article shall refuse to register the referendum initiative
group.
(Clause 11 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 12. If the registration of a referendum initiative group is refused, it shall be provided with
a decision of the corresponding commission indicating the reasons for the refusal

 13. The reason for the refusal to register a referendum initiative group may only be a
violation by the initiative group of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal laws, the
constitution (statute), the laws of the subject of the Russian Federation, the statute of a
municipal formation. The refusal of registration may be appealed in a court in the order
established by Article 75 of this Federal Law.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)