Vēlēšanas.info

Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Arnis Cimdars calls on voters who do not reside in the registered place of residence until 8.marta to declare their actual residence.

This is important because the European Parliament (EP) and the municipal elections, unlike the parliamentary elections and referendum voter records used to register voters. In these elections, each voter will be included in a certain election precinct voter list, which correspond to the registered voter's residence in the Population Register 90 days before polling day. This year it is 8.marts.

In addition, it must be remembered that the municipal elections voters have the right to vote only in their local government, where their residence is registered 90 days before election day, or their local government, as they belong to a validly registered real estate.

CEC in cooperation with the research firm "Data Services Ltd." in January's turnout shows that the registered place of residence in Latvia do not live close to a fifth part, or 18 percent of voters. Compared with 2004, when, in preparation for the EP elections, there was a similar survey, the number of voters whose actual and registered place of residence is different, an increase of four percent.

The most registered voters do not live in the place of residence between the ages of 18 to 34 years old, unemployed, and voters in Kurzeme. In turn, the declared place of residence is also the most effective resident voters with basic education, voters who are older than 55 years, as well as voters Zemgale.

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Although the Parliament adopted amendments to the laws which govern canvassing before the election, it is better "than nothing", however, are potential problems in application of the law into practice, consider the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (CPCB) superior acting Alvis Vilks.

Vilks today after meeting with President Valdis Zatlers has told journalists that the problem could provide a broad definition of election canvassing. Statutes KNAB boss for a right to stay illegal election canvassing, and therefore has a broad definition of election period, can lead to disputes between the CPCB and the political parties.

Another problem in applying the law could arise from the fact that the amendment to the law before viewing the third reading of third-party exclusions were included in the batch members, namely, members of parties are now able to speak as a third party, unless they are not candidates for Members. Zatlers during the meeting of interest and an assessment of the laws, but also how they will be able to apply life.

LETA already reported that the parliament adopted amendments to the Law "On election canvassing before the local elections" as well as amendments to the Law "On election canvassing before the parliamentary elections and European Parliament elections."

Law on "On election canvassing before the parliamentary elections and European Parliament elections" regulated so-called third-party election campaign. The amendments stipulate that the third party is the political parties and associations of non-natural or legal person in its behalf by canvassing. These people will be able to spend on promotion of not more than 15 minimum monthly salary, which currently stands at 2700 percent.

These amendments have yet to be promulgated to the President.

info: diena.lv percent

June 6 will be held in Latvia in 2009 the European Parliament (EP) and municipal elections.

Candidate list

Lists of candidates for the EP elections will accept the Central Election Commission. Submission of list of candidates for 2009 will be held from 18 March until April 2.

Submission of list of candidates for municipal elections, planned from 2009 17. up to 27. Municipal elections lists of candidates presented to the Republican town or district electoral commission.

Voter Register

Unlike the parliamentary elections and a plebiscite in the EP and local elections run voter register and vote will take place through the voter lists. Each voter will be registered in a given election polling station in accordance with the registered place of residence.

Voter lists will be created, in collaboration the Central Electoral Commission, local authorities and the Citizenship and Migration Affairs Administration.

In accordance with the laws of the electoral register 23. to 28.marta of Citizenship and Migration Affairs administration of each voter to his declared home address by post, send out a notice as to which precinct voter list has been established. The target for his constituency in the election, voters will be able to ascertain by the Central Election Commission inquiry telephone.

By 12.maijam voters will be able to use the opportunity to change the registered electoral district to another. Municipal elections in the electoral district may change the electoral district boundaries, where the voters are the declared place of residence or owns real estate.

Municipal elections will be a total of 118 electoral districts, whose boundaries correspond to 109 county and city boundaries 9 republics.

Voting procedure

On election day, Saturday, 2009 June 6, electoral authorities will be open from 7:00 o'clock to 22:00.

From 3.līdz 5.jūnijam polling stations will take place at the previous vote.

Similarly, voters who will not be able to get to polling station for health reasons, will have the opportunity to apply for a vote on its location. This opportunity, voters will be able to use, if on election day will be based in their own election precinct area.

To participate in the EP and local elections in Latvia, may also from other European Union (EU) Member States. In order to participate in municipal elections, those citizens must be registered in the Population Register of Latvia.

In turn, participate in the EP elections and vote for the Latvian Parliament's list of candidates will be those of other EU member states, voters who register with the elections to 7.maijam Central Election Commission.

At the same time, the right to participate in the EP elections are also those of Latvian citizens who live abroad.

Voters abroad may take part in EP elections, voting by mail. By 25.aprīlim postal voting applications to adopt the Latvian diplomatic and consular missions, but to be able to submit applications 7.maijam polling station vote by mail in Riga. Register to vote by mail can be both personally and sending the appropriate application by mail.

EP elections, the Latvian nationals who live in the EU Member States have the opportunity to vote either for the Latvian Parliament's list of candidates, or the Member State MEP candidates' lists. To use this option the EP elections, voters must register in the Member State concerned and the desire to participate in accordance with the national electoral conditions. Note, if the voter selects this option, then he loses the right to vote for Latvia's MEP candidates' list and deleted from the Latvian electoral roll.

Similarly, voters who live abroad, can not participate in municipal elections.

EP elections in Latvia, the first time will be allowed to participate in person, members of the security agent suitable for arrest or who izcieš to custodial sentences. These voters can participate in elections, voting by mail. Postal voting must register before May 17 election district the vote by mail in Riga.

info: CEC

Parliament on Thursday established a pre-canvassing conditions before parliamentary elections and European Parliament elections, as well as before the local elections, the adoption of laws that parliamentary commissions were scrapped at the beginning of 2007. Parliamentary government and municipal commissions Mario Kučinskis (TA), who led the preparation of the bill, acknowledged that only practice will show how successful is the two-day period of silence since the election day and the day before the election campaign for the media will be denied. Risk M. Kučinskis sees media opportunities these days aģitēt on individual lots or in hiding in advertisements, which may occur.

The Act also empowers the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau to prohibit any party to make electoral canvassing, if irregularities are found in its operation. But a representative of the Commission hopes that KNAB used in good faith in its great power. KNAB party can appeal the decision the district administrative court, but the execution of the decision, therefore, will not be suspended.

The law provides that the pre-promotion period is 120 days. Rigans it has a duty to inform KNAB of concluded contracts, advertising, broadcasting and the press have slots should be made public and ad space pricing. Contracts for advertising and media can be party to close the only directly, without intermediaries.

The Saeima has defined a third person - it is the law of the political organizations and associations unrelated person. The third person to be considered a natural, legal person or association of persons registered as such on his behalf by election canvassing no more than the minimum 15 months' salary, which would be 2700 percent. The law stipulates that a third party who violated the restrictions on canvassing, are brought to justice. "We, on the one hand, we have created the basis for freedom of expression, but on the other hand, imposed a reasonable and proportionate restrictions, thereby making the election canvassing regulation clearer and better," said Mr Kučinskis meeting.

Opposition during the New Member Artis Camphor also acknowledged at the hearing that canvassing the law-making was a positive example "this is now very unstable atmosphere, which shows how good and high quality products in the legislation, we can achieve if the line and listens to the opposition line takes into account the experts' assessments, views ".

info: diena.lv

Political parties in municipal election campaign, will be able to spend 32 centimes per voter, but in the parliamentary elections - 6 centimes per voter. Over the last municipal elections in the batch were allowed to spend 20 centimes per voter. The calculations published the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau. Lot shall not exceed the amount stipulated in electoral expenditure during the period from 7.februāra and 6 June to coincide with local and European elections.

For example, the Riga City Council elections will be 122 368 lats, in all nine cities together - 204 877 lats, in all Latvian municipalities together - 450 558 lats.

According to the party funding law of 120.dienas before the election until the day of the pre-election spending restrictions on the amount of spending on advertising, mail (including electronic mail) services in order to help it send election canvassing materials to charitable funding of sponsorship by way of benefits and making donations.

Compared with previous elections, parties were allowed to spend no more than 20 centimes per voter. Moreover, this size limit was extended to all election expenses.

Calculations show that the amount in European Parliament elections should not exceed 88 lats 990.97 (or 5.97 centimes to the electorate), while the municipal elections - 31.84 centimes to each voter in that area in previous municipal elections.

info: diena.lv, bilde: apollo.lv

15.janvārī parliament is likely to put a new pre-promotion framework. Work on the three-party funding and electoral canvassing relevant laws began shortly after the scandalous 2006 parliamentary election campaign, which was a visible element of the so-called positivism campaigns. Starta shots change raidīja three coalition parties, who came up with the initiative to allow election candidates to spend unlimited future elections, the amount (ie, to withdraw from the election spending caps). Two years later the situation has changed significantly. The idea of spending ceilings for publicly any cancellations lot longer defend. Even more - with 15.janvāra amendment could be resolved, even those problems that the previous terms, they feared getting on to it.

But first, on election spending "ceiling", which was reformed at July 2008. Major changes: more than 50% of lots had increased spending on pre-authorized maximum amount, in addition, limits were applied to all parties and not electoral activities, but only a few (major - ad placement, sponsorship, postage). These matters political compromise was reached, although the lot, long and hard kaulējoties parliamentary government and local government commission, the consensus was very close - the end of understanding on mutually acceptable spending ceilings differed by about 50 000 lats.

The conclusion is a positive solution. Providus's previous parliamentary election monitoring showed that at least five existing lots (2004, set at the outset) spending ceilings were too low - say, the lot, either pārtērēja allowed amount of overshoot or were close. To be able to function limitations, they must be rooted in real life. If the ceiling is far too low in the lots with access to large financial resources, they increasingly seek out ways to escape from the limitations and benefits of such systems will not be none. Saeima approved Option (ceilings - about Ls 460, 000) allows the parties during the election to spend the amounts to be much larger than their incomes starpvēlēšanu years, but - and this, in my opinion, is the key! - Still prevents millions of lats worth the campaign, what we saw in the 2002 parliamentary elections.

Municipal Elections

The discussions parliamentary committees from time to time it was mentioned in the scenarios for which the legal assessment will still be difficult. For example, what criteria determine whether the medial roll of the submitted ad, which argued strongly for what values whether or not the pre-election campaign? Did a lot of donations should be considered a promotional clip, which deployed its own name any individual, but it is certain that the placement is consistent with the political parties? Such situations are bound to depend on the circumstances of each particular situation. Members of the Parliament was not ready for them to provide more precise regulation. Therefore, the correct legal interpretation will still be guided by constitutional principles and party finances for regulatory purposes. I think that after the 2006 electoral exercises, the lot is realizing that every word of lots, and campaign finance laws and regulations is of great importance - the robust regulatory framework does not imply that everything is permitted.

During the shortage denied 15.janvāra Act amendments to refine the way. Members agreed to start the new mechanisms are already provided to the June local and European elections, to verify their viability and, if necessary, before the 2009 parliamentary elections again this time to revise the regulation.

15.janvāra Innovation

15.janvārī parliament to decide on the essential innovations of electoral campaigns. Lengthy search rezulātā compromise, parliamentary government and local government commission members arrived at a solution to the critical problems in the previous election.

1. The so-called third-party problem (when the political ads are placed instead of the party, but rather some other organization or even individuals). Members chose a simple (perhaps even over-simplified!) Solutions for this complex problem - namely, to determine such a campaign spending ceiling of 15 minimum monthly salary level, the imposition of another advertising claims.

2. Equal terms of political advertising prices. To prevent the 2005 municipal election experience recurrence of incomprehensible reasons, one political party had won a huge amount of advertising credits, the new regulation provides for the obligation to release publicly announce the times of political advertising prices and prohibiting deviate from those prices.

3. In response to the Supreme Court in 2006 of by the decision, which stated an effective mechanism for monitoring elections in the absence of parliamentary commission was able to agree on such a mechanism. The facility has two main elements: 1) the media obliged all political advertising contracts forward KNAB) 2) KNAB mandate to stay in the case of political campaigns.

After the brackets

So far, no clear regulatory framework still remains a whole series of important issues, such as the possible promotion at the municipality owned media, the parties granted free transmission reform, lots popularity rating disclosure conditions shortly before the election. Tackling these issues a few years, has repeatedly been postponed, hopefully, at least until the elections 9.Saeimas of them will produce a framework. On a later time and may not defer the introduction of penalties for breaches of the new system.

Finally worth mentioning another important 15.janvāra innovation - namely, members agreed the day before the election and on election day to withdraw from political ads. Just such a "reflection period" to voters was a peak in the parliamentary government and local government a majority of the Members were willing to support.

Overall, the work of the panel, all of 2008 working on a new regulation, there has been a surprisingly constructive. The positive outcome of this case demonstrates the fact that all the parties represented in Parliament is advantageous for the new regulation would be adopted, rather than keeping the old. Brutal act or neglect izlavierēt looking through the legal framework finesēm is still possible. But it is almost certain that in the event of a subsequent referendum would be on the prohibition of political advertising.

Iveta coat, provides, researcher, Diena.lv