MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2018) The 2018 Moscow mayoral election is being held on Sunday, September 9.
Elections of Moscow's mayor are held in accordance with the main legislative acts of the Russian Federation and the city of Moscow: the Constitution of the Russian Federation (1993), the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right of Citizens of the Russian Federation" (1994), the Charter of the City of Moscow (1995) and the Electoral Code of Moscow (2005).
Mayor is the highest ranking official of the city of Moscow. They are elected for a five-year term by residents on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.
Only a Russian citizen who does not hold citizenship of a foreign state or a residence permit or other document confirming their right of permanent residence on the territory of a foreign state, and who has reached the age of 30 years may be elected the mayor of Moscow.
A Russian citizen who holds the post of mayor of Moscow for a second term in a row cannot be elected for a third term. Citizens who have been recognized as legally incapable by a court or imprisoned by a court verdict do not have the right to vote or run for public office, or carry out any election-related activities.
The election days are appointed by the city council, the Moscow City Duma. The decision has to be made no earlier than 100 days and no later than 90 days before election day.
Moscow residents aged 18 and above can elect the Moscow mayor.
In 2018, Moscow residents who will be outside their area of registration on election day will for the first time be able to vote in another area of the city or in another settlement in the regions of Moscow, Kaluga, Tula and Vladimir, if an application is submitted.
The City Commission, territorial and district commissions organize and conduct Moscow mayoral elections.
Candidates are nominated by political parties that have the right to participate in elections, or their regional branches, in accordance with federal law. Candidates can also nominate themselves.
Candidates should enlist the support of 6 percent of lawmakers from local self-government representative bodies and/or elected municipal presidents.
Self-nominated candidates also have to collect signatures from at least 0.5 percent of Moscow voters.
Before submitting documents for registration to an electoral commission, Russian citizens who have been nominated as a candidate must close their accounts and deposits containing money or valuables in foreign banks outside Russia, and/or dispose of foreign financial instruments if they own any.
The nomination of candidates, as well as the collection of signatures, is carried out within 30 days from the date of the official publication of the decision on the election's date.
The City Commission registers the candidates.
A candidate is entitled to appoint as many as 500 authorized representatives.
The campaign period for a candidate starts from the day the candidate submits a statement of consent to the election commission. Campaigning is prohibited on the day prior to and on election day.
Preparations for elections are funded by election commissions with money specifically allocated from Moscow's budget. Candidates are required to create their own electoral funds to finance their campaigns.
Electoral funds of candidates can be created at the expense of: the candidate's own funds, which in total cannot exceed 3 percent of the maximum amount of expenses; funds allocated to the candidate by the electoral association that nominated them (not from the electoral fund of the association), which cannot exceed 50 percent of total expenses; voluntary donations of citizens, which can account for no more than 0.5 percent of total expenses; and voluntary donations of legal entities, which can account for no more than 3 percent of total expenses.
The maximum amount of all expenses from the electoral fund of a candidate cannot exceed 250 million rubles (over $4.5 million).
Polling places must remain open for voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (05:00 to 17:00 GMT).
Voters cast their ballots personally; voting by proxy is not permitted.
Ballots are issued to voters upon the presentation of their passports.
The Names of candidates are listed on the ballot in alphabetical order. The process requires the voters to check the box that corresponds with the candidate he or she wants to choose.
Completed ballots are then put by voters into sealed ballot boxes or into special technical equipment that counts votes.
The City Commission then determines the results of the elections no later than seven days after election day.
The candidate who has collected more than 50 percent of the vote is then declared the winner.
If more than two candidates are included on the ballot and none was elected, the City Commission then calls for a repeat vote with the two candidates who received the largest number of votes. A second vote is then held 14 days after the initial election day.
If, prior to the second vote, one of the candidates withdraws his or her candidacy, or leaves for other reasons, his or her place is then transferred to the next candidate who previously participated in the elections and received the highest number of votes.
Following the results of the repeated voting, the candidate who obtains a larger number of votes is considered the newly elected mayor.
A second vote may be conducted on one candidate in case other candidates drop out of the race. At the same time, a candidate is considered elected to the post if he or she receives at least 50 percent of the vote. A re-election is called if all candidates drop out of the vote.
