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The plenary session of Congress approved a project a set of transitory regulations in the Organic Law of Elections and the Law of Political Parties that will come into effect exclusively for the general elections of 2021, due to the health emergency caused by the pandemic.
These are the changes approved at the proposal of the Constitution Commission.
-Organic Law of Elections-
Seven provisions are introduced that regulate operational aspects of the electoral process, such as voting hours, exemptions for risk groups and sanitary measures to have more and better voting locations, in order to avoid crowding.
- Public officials who will participate in the elections will present their applications for leave without having 30 days before the date of the elections. The current rule establishes a 60-day term.
- The installation of the voting, voting and counting tables are carried out on the same day. Tables are set up before 07:00 in the morning and voting ends at 19:00. If all the electors have voted, the voting can be finished before the indicated time.
- People in risk groups for COVID-19 are exempt from paying the fine by omission to vote or not fulfilling the responsibility of being a member of the polling station. The JNE will enable a virtual platform for the justification or dispensation process and the ONPE for dispensations.
- The ONPE can form polling stations made up of voters whose domicile, registered in the DNI, is located in a different place from the district where the polling station is located, provided that both belong to the same electoral district.
- The Decentralized Offices of Electoral Processes (ODPE) will designate the places where the voting tables will operate, the number of tables and guarantee that the sanitary measures are complied with. Other types of enclosures can be considered to those indicated in the standard.
- The training of the polling station members, the representatives and the personnel involved in the elections can be developed through virtual means.
- The installation of polling stations, voting, counting, as well as the collection of minutes and amphorae will be done ensuring all sanitary control and safety measures.
-Law of Political Organizations-
- The political organizations that present lists of candidates for the 2021 elections must have a valid registration in the JNE Registry of Political Organizations (ROP) until the date of the start of the registration period for candidates.
- The JNE will put online, within 45 days, the Digital Electoral Portal (PED) to carry out virtual procedures and procedures for affiliation and resignation from a political organization, modifications to the statute and regulations, changes in party meetings and the election of its leaders.
- The internal elections in the parties to elect the candidates will be organized by the ONPE, the Reniec prepares the electoral roll and the JNE resolves the controversies, prepares the schedule and supervises the internal ones.
Candidates in internal elections must be affiliated with the political organization for which they wish to run and register their affiliation with the ROP until September 30 of this year.
Internal elections can be carried out through the universal, free, voluntary, equal, direct and secret of the affiliates or through delegates elected by universal, free, voluntary, equal, direct and secret vote of the affiliates.
For the elections, national political parties registered in the ROP and whose directors have expired their mandate, are obliged to hold elections until October 31 of this year using virtual, electronic tools, or face-to-face or non-face-to-face means. In case they cannot do them, the mandates for the elections will be extended.
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