The elections of the Bar Council of the Chamber of Advocates of RA have started. 

There are three questions on the agenda of the regular common session: the election of the Bar Council, the election of persons responsible for the disciplinary work and the voting on the issue of defining an advocate’s day.  The number of advocates participating in the vote is 1779.

As it was originally conceived, the voting started at 10 a.m., and is to last till 17p.m. Immediately after the termination of the vote the Estimates Committee will start the process of estimation.

There are 39 candidates for membership in the Bar Council of the Chamber and 20 candidates for the positions of persons responsible for the preparation of disciplinary work.  

THE ORDER OF VOTING

1. The head of the Estimates Committee announces the beginning of the voting on the day and hour of the beginning of the vote: he announces the beginning of the voting and permits the entrance of the voters into the voting room.

2. In the voting room besides the members of the Estimates Committee and the voters may also be present the authorized persons of the candidates, the observers, by one at a time.  The candidate during the voting may be present in the voting room only with the purpose of participation in the vote.  
3. At the same time in the voting room the number of voters can’t outnumber the amount of voters decided by the head of the Estimates Committee. In order to ensure an accurate process of the voting the head of the Estimates Committee has the right to let the voters into the voting room in turn, by one person.

4. The participant of the secret ballot – the member of the Chamber of Advocates (henceforth the voter), comes up to a certain table presenting a document confirming his identity or an advocate’s certificate. The member of the Estimates Committee checks the data of the voter and after that the voter signs opposite his name and is being given a ballot paper.  
The ballot papers for the elections of the members of the Bar Council of the Chamber of Advocates of RA are printed on white paper, the ballot papers for the elections of persons responsible for the disciplinary work of the Chamber of Advocates of RA – on yellow paper and
the ballot papers on the issue of defining “An advocate’s day” – on green paper.

5. After getting the ballot paper, the voter approaches the voting booth and makes his choice.   In the voting booth the voter folds each voting paper separately four times and on leaving the voting booth throws it in this state into the ballot box separated for the noted group.   Immediately after making his choice the voter leaves the spot of the voting.  
6. During the vote the voter makes a note for the preferable candidate or variant, that mustn’t exceed:
- During the election of the members of the Bar Council of the Chamber of Advocates of RA - 12 (twelve) candidates, 
- During the election of persons responsible for the disciplinary work of the Chamber of Advocates of RA - 20 (twenty) candidates, and during the voting for the issue of defining “An advocate’s day”
- 1 (one) variant.
In case of violating the claim mentioned in this point, the ballot paper will be considered as invalid.
7. For making the vote accessible for voters having difficulties referring to the participation in the voting the Estimates Committee is obliged to define additional opportunities:   ensuring the possibility of free expression of the voter and the secrecy of the vote.

8. The voter participates in the vote personally. The voting by means of authorized persons is prohibited.

9. A voter who is unable to fill in the ballot paper himself, has the right, after informing the head of the Estimates Committee, to invite into the voting booth another person, that mustn’t be the member of the Estimates Committee or an authorized person.  The person has the opportunity to help only one voter who is unable to fill in the ballot paper himself. Except for the mentioned cases, the presence of another person in the voting booth while filling in the ballot paper is prohibited.  
10. In case if the voter thinks that he has made a mistake while filling in the ballot paper or has damaged it, he can turn to the head of the Estimates Committee in order to get a new ballot paper. On the order of the head of the Estimates Committee the voter is provided with a new ballot paper, an appropriate mark is being made next to the name and surname of that very voter in the list of voters. The ballot paper that is inaccurate (damaged) is immediately extinguished.