Amended May 20, 2025
Election Bylaw of the International Medical Students of Greece
- DEFINITIONS
- BYLAW: This bylaw, namely the election Bylaw of the International Medical Students of Greece.
- CAMPAIGN: To campaign means to solicit the vote of Members by any means other than informal conversation, including but not limited to any sort of public communication, whether spoken, written or electronic.
- CANDIDATE: A Candidate is any member seeking election, from the moment they submit their Nomination Form or otherwise publicly announce their candidacy, to the end of the voting period.
- CONSTITUTION: The Constitution of the International Medical Students of Greece.
- EO: Election Officer
- AEO: Assistant Election Officer.
- MASS COMMUNICATION: Society-wide email correspondence emanating from the Society or from the EO.
- MEMBER: A voting member of the Society in good standing as per section 3 of the Constitution.
- NOMINATION FORM: A document containing a candidate’s name and desired position.
- OFFICERS: The EO and AEO.
- SOCIETY: The organization International Medical Students of Greece.
- VIOLATION: The violation of any rule or regulation set out in this Election Bylaw or the Constitution by a Candidate.
- OFFICERS
- ELECTION OFFICER (EO). The incumbent President becomes Election Officer ex Officio, provided that they are not also a Candidate. The General Council of the Society may nominate any Member as EO, provided they are not a Candidate. In the event the EO cannot continue their duties, the General Council shall nominate a new EO among eligible Members.
- ASSISTANT ELECTION OFFICER (AEO). The Assistant Election Officer is appointed by the EO. Any person who is not a Candidate is eligible to be appointed as AEO. In the event the AEO cannot continue in their duties, the EO shall assume AEO duties on an interim basis until the EO nominates a new AEO.
- DUTIES. The aforementioned Officers are jointly and solidarily responsible for the enforcement of the Constitution and this Bylaw. They are entitled to impose sanctions on Candidates who have committed Violations, in accordance with section 8 of this Bylaw.
- NOMINATION
- NOMINATION PERIOD. The nomination period shall begin no later than seven (7) days prior to the commencement of the campaigning period; the nomination period shall end no earlier than forty-eight (48) before the commencement of the campaigning period.
- ELIGIBILITY. Members may stand for any elected position provided their candidacy is in accordance to section 9.2 of the Constitution.
- NOMINATION FORM. Candidates must submit a Nomination Form during the nomination period to be eligible for election.
- ANNOUNCEMENT OF NOMINATIONS. The EO must inform the Members of the validity of the Nominations Forms received before the end of the nomination period.
- ELIGIBILITY CUTOFF. Only individuals who have become members before the start of the Nomination Period shall be eligible to both stand for election and cast a vote in that electoral cycle. Any person who registers as a member after the Nomination Period has ended shall not be eligible to run for office or vote in the current election.
- CAMPAIGN
- CAMPAIGNING PERIOD. The campaigning period cannot begin until the nomination period has ended, and must end before the voting period begins. The campaigning period must last at least three (3) business days and include at least one (1) business day for speeches.
- CAMPAIGNING. Candidates may only campaign during the campaigning period, and must remove any campaign material before the voting period begins. Candidates must comply with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Building Regulations. The use of electronic communications is permitted for the purposes of campaigning, provided this is done in accordance with the current Bylaw.
- SPEECHES. The Officers must hold an event for speeches and questions during the campaigning period. Members must be informed by Mass Communication of the time, place, and modalities of this event. All Candidates are entitled to deliver a speech and field questions from the audience at this event, and are to be allocated as much time as other Candidates running for the same position.
- EXPENDITURES. Members may not undertake any expenditures for the purpose of campaigning.
- OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS. Candidates may not campaign using the Society’s Official Communications. The EO however, must allow all candidates to submit a written message of limited length to be distributed to Members through the Society’s Official Communications or the Society’s website.
- VOTING
- VOTING PERIOD. The voting period shall have a minimum duration of three (3) days. Members must be informed through Mass Communication of the commencement of the voting period as well as the voting procedure.
- METHOD OF VOTATION. The winning Candidate shall be determined by First-past-the-post Vote. Members will vote online.
- For all positions, Members must have the option to abstain from voting.
- COUNT. The Officers are responsible for the determination of the outcome of the election and the verification of the results. The Officers must announce the results via Mass Communication.
- TIE-BREAKING. In the event of a tie vote, the candidate with the most votes after the first round of the single vote will be declared the winner. If two or more candidates remain tied, the winner shall be determined by sortition.
- NO CANDIDATE ELECTED. In the event that no Member applies for a position, the vacant position shall be replaced in accordance with article 5.18 of the Constitution.
- SANCTIONS
- WARNINGS. A candidate who has been determined by the Officers to have committed a Violation may receive a warning if the Officers determine the Violation did not benefit the candidate at fault, and was not detrimental to any other candidate. The candidate at fault must remedy the Violation within twenty-four (24) hours.
- CENSURE. A candidate who has been determined by the Officers to have committed a Violation with regards to section 4 of this Bylaw with tangible or reasonably foreseeable effects shall be subject to a public censure, transmitted to all members of the Society through its official communications.
- CANCELLATION. A candidate who has been determined by the Officers to have committed a Violation of any other section, or otherwise undermined the elections or brought the electoral process into disrepute, shall be subject to:
- Immediate censure as detailed above; and
- Cancellation of their election if they are indeed the candidate with the most votes.
- APPEALS. Decisions by Officers are final and are not subject to appeal.