Law on local election (extended)

The law on local election has been published in the Holos Ukrainy newspaper. The law on the procedure for holding elections to the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Republic, local councils and mayors of cities, towns and villages, takes effect. The law stipulates that the elections to the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Republic, regional, district, city, town councils and councils of city areas are held according to a mixed proportional electoral system, which means that half of the seats in a relevant council are won by getting a simple majority of votes in single-member constituencies, whereas the other half are distributed among candidates on the lists of political organizations in proportion to the number of votes received in multi-member constituencies.

According to the document, elections to rural councils are held under a simple plurality voting system based on single-member constituencies.

Elections of mayors of cities, towns and villages are held under a plurality voting system in single-member constituencies that lie within the boundaries of a relevant city, town or village.

Election campaign starts 50 days before election.

Next local elections in Ukraine have been scheduled for October 31, 2010.

The election campaign would start on September 11, 2010.

The Central Election Commission announces the start of the election campaign no later than five days before the campaign start.

Only local parties can propose candidates to the posts of lawmakers of the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Republic, regional, district, city, town councils and councils of city areas.

Only local parties can propose candidates for the post of city mayors.

Parties or candidates themselves can propose to run election in rural areas and for the posts of rural areas heads.

Local parties can nominate candidates if the parties were registered no later than 365 days before election.

Candidates can be nominated 34 days before election and nomination finishes 28 days before election.

A decision on the total number of lawmakers in local councils is made no later than 50 days before election.