European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004

Regulation 14

SCHEDULE 3 MODIFICATIONS FOR RELEVANT CITIZENS OF THE ACCESSION STATES IN 2004

1.  This Schedule applies in the circumstances set out in regulation 14 of these Regulations.

2.  In regulation 2, in the definition of “elector”, after the word “age”, insert “,or, subject to regulation 4(1A) of the 2001 Franchise Regulations, those shown in the register as a relevant citizen of an Accession State,”.

3.  In regulation 18, insert after paragraph (3)—

“(4) Nothing in paragraph (2) shall prevent a relevant citizen of an Accession State from being excluded from voting on the ground that the Accession State of which he is a national has not acceded to the European Union.”.

4.  In regulation 25(1), for the words “For the purposes of this paragraph” to the end of the paragraph, substitute—

• “For the purposes of this paragraph, references to a person being subject to a legal incapacity to vote do not, in relation to things done before polling day at the election or first election at which or for which they are done—

  (i)

  include his being below voting age if he will be of voting age on that day;

  (ii)

  include his being a citizen of an Accession State, and therefore not entitled to vote until the Accession State in question accedes to the European Union on 1st May 2004.”.

5.  In paragraph 20 of Schedule 2, after sub-paragraph (2) insert—

“(3) In the case of a relevant citizen of an Accession State, no postal ballot paper may be issued by the returning officer before he has been notified by the Secretary of State that the Accession State in question has ratified the Treaty of Athens.”.