The European Parliamentary Elections (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004

[F1Attendance at counting of votesN.I.

51.—(1) The returning officer must make arrangements for counting the votes in the presence of the counting agents—

(a)in the case of a general election of MEPs, before or after the material time and in either case so as to comply with rule 55(2) as soon as practicable after the material time,

(b)in the case of a by-election, as soon as practicable after the close of the poll,

and must give to the counting agents notice in writing of the time and place at which he will begin to count the votes.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the “material time” means, in relation to a general election of MEPs, the close of the polling in the member State whose electors are the last to vote in the election.

(3) No person other than—

(a)the returning officer and his clerks,

(b)the candidates and one other person chosen by each of them,

(c)the election agents,

(d)the counting agents,

(e)persons who are entitled to attend by virtue of any of sections 6A to 6D of the 2000 Act,

may be present at the counting of the votes, unless permitted by the returning officer to attend.

(4) A person not entitled to attend at the counting of the votes must not be permitted to do so by the returning officer unless he—

(a)is satisfied that the efficient counting of the votes will not be impeded; and

(b)has either consulted the election agents or thought it impracticable to do so.

(5) The returning officer must give the counting agents all such reasonable facilities for overseeing the proceedings, and all such information with respect to them, as he can give them consistently with the orderly conduct of the proceedings and the discharge of his duties in connection with them.]

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