First instance body dealing with electoral disputes

Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del RégimenElectoral General.

In effect since 21/06/1985 (last update in force since 08/09/2011)

http://www.infoelectoral.mir.es/Normativa/loreg_2011.htm

Artículo veintiuno

1. Fuera de los casosen que esta Ley prevea un procedimiento especifico de revisi?n judicial, losacuerdos de las Juntas Provinciales de Zona y, en su caso, de ComunidadAut?noma, son recurribles ante la Junta de superior categor?a, que deberesolver durante los per?odos electorales en el plazo de cinco d?as y, fuera deellos, en el de diez d?as, en ambos casos a contar desde la interposici?n delrecurso.

2. La interposici?ntendr? lugar dentro de las veinticuatro horas siguientes a la notificaci?n delacuerdo y ante la Junta que lo hubiera dictado, la cual, con su informe, ha deremitir el expediente en el plazo de cuarenta y ocho horas a la Junta que debaresolver. Contra la resoluci?n de esta ?ltima no cabe recurso administrativo ojudicial alguno.

Artículocuarenta y nueve

1.A partir de la proclamaci?n, cualquier candidato excluido y los representantesde las candidaturas proclamadas o cuya proclamaci?n hubiera sido denegada,disponen de un plazo de dos d?as para interponer recurso contra los acuerdos deproclamaci?n de las Juntas Electorales, ante el Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo.

5.Los recursos previstos en el presente art?culo ser?n de aplicaci?n a lossupuestos de proclamaci?n o exclusi?n de candidaturas presentadas por lospartidos, federaciones, coaliciones y agrupaciones de electores a los que serefiere el apartado 4 del art?culo 44 de la presente Ley Orgánica, con lassiguientes salvedades:

a)El recurso previsto en el apartado primero del presente art?culo se interpondr?ante la Sala especial del Tribunal Supremo regulada en el art?culo 61 de la LeyOrgánica del Poder Judicial.

Article 21

1. In cases other than those in which this Law provides anspecific judicial remedy procedure, the agreements/decisions adopted bythe Zone, Provincial or, as the case may be, Autonomous Community’s ElectoralCommissions, shall be the subject to an appeal to the higher (in hierarchy)Electoral Commission, which has to rule, during the electoral periods, withinfive days and, in non-electoral periods, within ten days, in both cases thedeadline starts from the date of the lodging of the remedy.

2. The appealshall be lodged, within the 24 hours after the decision/agreement notification,to the Electoral Commission which had issued the decisi?n/agreement. TheElectoral Commission, along with its report, shall submit the file in a 48hours’ time to the Electoral Commission that shall rule.This ElectoralCommission resolution is not subject to any appeal, neither administrative norjudicial.

SECTION III.APPEAL AGAINST THE PROCLAMATION OF CANDIDATURES AND CANDIDATES.

Article 49

1. Oncethe proclamation has been made, any excluded candidate, as well as therepresentatives of proclaimed candidatures or whose proclamation had beendenied, have a two days’ period to give, to the Administrative Court, notice ofappeal against the Electoral Commissions’ proclamation agreements. At the sametime the appeal is lodged, pertinent allegations and appropriate pieces ofevidence have to be presented.

2. Theperiod to give notice of the appeal according with the last paragraph’sprovisions begins with the publication of the proclaimed candidates, eventhough the compulsory notification to the representative of the candidate orcandidates who had been excluded.

3.The court decision, which shall be issued/ruled in a two days time after thelodging of the appeal, is final and unappealable, without prejudice to theremedy of amparo (protection of constitutional rights) to the ConstitutionalCourt, to which end, with the appeal regulated in this Article, therequirements established in Article 44.1, a) of the Organic Law of theConstitutional Court shall be considered met.

4. Theappeal for legal protection has to be lodged in a two days’ time and theConstitutional Court must adopt a decision during the following three days.

5. (N.Barticle modified in 2011 –Ley Orgánica 3/2011, de 28 de enero-: it included thereference to political parties, political parties’ federations or coalitions.Groups of electors werementioned before the modification of the Law).Appeals regulated in thisarticle will applicable to the proclamation or exclusion of candidaturespresented by the political parties, political parties’ federations, coalitionsand groups of electors regulated in article 44.4 of this Law, with thefollowing exceptions:

a.      The appealmentioned in the first paragraph of this article will be lodged before theSpecial Division of the Supreme Court regulated in article 61 of the OrganicLaw of the Judiciary.

b.     Those whoare entitled to ask for the declaration of a political party as an illegal one,according to article 11.1 of the Organic Law on Political Parties, will also beentitled to lodge appeals.

c.      (N.B. letter c was included by Ley Orgánica 3/2011, de 28 de enero) If during the electoral campaign theparties legitimated to lodge the appeal would be aware of circumstances that,according with article 44.4 of this Law, would prevent the presentation ofcandidatures, the appeal could be lodged up until the 44^th day afterthe calling of the elections. The Special Room of the Supreme Court shalldecide in a three days time after the lodging. In this case, the ballot papersprinting prohibition of the affected candidature shall not apply.