REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 12 MAY 2024 - ODIHR NEEDS ASSESSMENT MISSION REPORT

LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTORAL SYSTEM The presidential election is regulated by the 1992 Constitution (last amended in 2022), the 2022 Electoral Code (last amended in 2023), the Law on Political Organizations adopted in 2022, and the relevant provisions of the Code of Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code. [...] 7 The Electoral Code incorporated provisions from the Laws on Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, the Law on the Central Election Commission, and the Law on Funding of Political Campaigns and Control of Funding. [...] The MECs, which are temporary bodies appointed by the CEC, were established in February to administer the upcoming presidential and European Parliament elections.10 They oversee election preparations and the conduct of elections in each municipality, including tabulating and transferring the voting results of the municipality to the CEC. [...] Following the 2023 amendments, the CEC may, at the request of the political organisation that nominated the candidate, refuse to register, or cancel the registration of a candidate if it is found that a pre-trial investigation has been initiated against the candidate. [...] ELECTION CAMPAIGN The official campaign period starts from the call of the elections (12 November 2023) and ends with a silence period, shortened by the recent amendments, that starts seven hours before the opening of polls and lasts until the end of voting.