For the election of members of the Governing Board
Rules are now linked to the articles of association
ARTICLE 1 :
In accordance with Article 13, § 2 – Governing Board Election – of the Articles of Association, the process for electing members of the SFPE Governing Board is governed by these electoral regulations, as outlined in the following provisions.
ARTICLE 2 :
Within the General Assembly, an Electoral Bureau is established, consisting of a Chairperson and two Assessors. The General Assembly appoints the Chairperson and Assessors. They waive their eligibility for the elections they are called upon to oversee.
ARTICLE 3:
All SFPE members in good standing who have been members for at least one year may stand as candidates for membership on the Governing Board. Exceptionally, a member may be invited to stand for election to the Governing Board, provided that they are unanimously invited to do so by the current Governing Board.
However, a former director who has not contributed regularly to the day-to-day administration of the association during a previous term of office and who has been dismissed from office by the Governing Board for this reason may not stand for re-election.
Furthermore, candidates whose general behaviour or political opinions could be considered by the outgoing Board and/or the Electoral Office as prejudicial to the interests of the SFPE are not eligible. Any rejected candidate may appeal to the General Assembly.
ARTICLE 4:
An invitation to stand as a candidate for election as a member of the Governing Board shall be sent to any member of the SFPE who meets the conditions set out in Article 3.
The notice shall be brought to the attention of members via the Association’s Bulletin, by email, or by post.
The notice shall mention:
- a) The invitation to members to stand as candidates and the form in which to submit their candidacy.
- b) The requirement to attach a brief curriculum vitae.
- c) The fact that voting will take place by post or by email, or at the venue where the General Assembly will be held.
- d) The closing date and time for the call for candidates.
ARTICLE 5:
Nominations must be submitted in writing to the SFPE Secretariat or to the Chair of the Electoral Committee. Nominations must be received before the deadline specified in Article 4.
ARTICLE 6:
The Electoral Office and the outgoing Governing Board shall verify the nominations submitted; they shall reject those that do not meet the conditions set out in Articles 3 and 5.
They shall draw up the list of candidates and the list of voters.
ARTICLE 7:
The members of the Governing Board shall be elected by the General Assembly, which shall be composed of all full members of the Association who are in good standing and up-to-date with their membership fees.
ARTICLE 8:
The Electoral Office and the Governing Board shall draw up the list of candidates and the list of voters. The list of valid candidates shall be printed on the ballot papers in alphabetical order.
ARTICLE 9:
A full member who is absent may give a written proxy (letter, email, fax) to another member who will be present at the General Assembly.
ARTICLE 10:
Ballot papers shall be sent at least fifteen days before the date set for the General Assembly. They shall bear the date of dispatch and the closing date for voting.
ARTICLE 11:
Voters must vote in accordance with the instructions provided by the Electoral Office. They are invited to vote by post or at the General Assembly by placing their ballot paper in the ballot box provided for this purpose at the venue.
- The Secretariat shall send a ballot paper to each voter.
- This ballot paper, completed by the voter, must be sent to the Secretariat or the Chair of the Electoral Office in a double envelope before the date set for the General Assembly. The outside of the envelope must bear the surname and first name(s) of the voter and be signed by them.
- Those who wish to vote online must send their completed ballot paper (in Word, PDF, JPEG, or other format) to the Chair of the Electoral Office, with notification to the Secretariat, before the date set for the General Assembly.
- Members voting at the General Assembly must, in principle, bring the ballot paper sent to them.
ARTICLE 12:
Voters cast their votes by writing an ‘X’ in the box next to the names of the candidates they wish to elect. To avoid invalidating their vote, they must refrain from making any other markings, signatures, deletions, or signs on the ballot paper.
Voters may vote for one candidate, several candidates, or all candidates.
ARTICLE 13:
During the General Assembly, the counting of votes cast by post, online, and those deposited
The members of the Electoral Office shall carry out the ballot box at the General Assembly venue.
The counting of votes is public. The Electoral Office shall decide, by majority vote, on any disputes that may arise during the electoral process.
ARTICLE 14:
The 20 candidates who obtain the most votes shall be declared elected if more than 20 candidates are standing.
To be elected, a candidate must receive at least 10 votes.
If there is a tie between several candidates for the last position to be filled, the tie will be broken by a secret ballot of the 19 elected members, plus the chair of the Electoral Board, who has the casting vote in the event of a tie.
ARTICLE 15:
Newly elected members may accept or decline their mandate. If one or more elected members decline, the Electoral Board shall declare the next candidate(s) on the list elected until the list is exhausted, if necessary.
Once the elected members have accepted their mandate or the list is exhausted, the Governing Board shall be constituted.
In accordance with Article 13 § 3 of the Statutes, the elected members shall meet to elect the Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary-General. The meeting shall be chaired by the Chair of the Electoral Board or, failing that, by the oldest elected candidate. This meeting must take place within seven working days of the date of the count.
The most senior elected representative or the chair of the Electoral Board collects the nominations for the chairmanship of the Governing Board and puts them to a vote. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes is elected chairperson. In the event of a tie, the candidate who is the oldest is declared elected.
ARTICLE 16:
The results of the elections and the composition of the Governing Board shall be communicated to the General Assembly immediately and to all voters within 10 days of the General Assembly.
ARTICLE 17:
The validity of the elections can be challenged within 10 days of the last day for notifying members of the election results. Any challenge must be submitted in writing (by letter or email) to the Chair of the Electoral Office.
ARTICLE 18:
Until the new Governing Board resulting from the elections is duly constituted, the outgoing Governing Board shall remain responsible for the management of day-to-day business.