meeting the nomination criteria can stand as a candidate: - Be nominated by a PES full member party or organisation. - Be supported by 15% of PES full member parties or organisations (nominating party or organisation included), including his/her party or a party from his/her country if he/she is not a member of a PES full member party. - A party can only nominate or support one potential candidate. These criteria will allow for a maximum of six candidates. In November 2011, the PES had 33 full member parties and 5 full member organisations. In these conditions, a candidate would need the support from 6 parties or organisations: one nominating her/him, 5 other supporting. October 2013: A PES Leaders' Conference will take place to examine the nomination process. 6 November 2013: Official opening of the campaign and the announcement of candidates. The PES Presidency will meet to close the nomination process, check candidacies, make the candidacies public, and set up an electoral committee composed of representatives from each potential candidate to scrutinise the fairness of the process. Votes in member parties and organisations 1 December – 31 January 2014: Once the list of potential candidates is finalised, votes on the candidates will be organised in each full member party and organisation. Each party or organisation determines its own voting process according to its traditions. Nevertheless, they will have to respect the following principles: Direct or indirect consultation of individual members, Ratification of the result by a democratically elected body of the party or organisation, Proportionality of votes within each delegation. Results and their ratification February 2014: The PES will convene an extraordinary Congress in Rome to ratify the election of the candidate and to vote upon the Manifesto. The results of the votes of member parties and organisations will first be aggregated at the PES Congress. to consolidate them, the votes of full member parties and organisations will be weighted on the basis of the breakdown of delegates in the PES Congress established according to the PES Statutes. If a candidate obtains an absolute majority of the weighted votes, he or she will be ratified by the PES Congress. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority, a second round will be held between the two first candidates in the PES Congress by open ballot. Voting procedures in member parties and organisations France – PS From November 2011 on, several leaders