51 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "To vote and be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the voter."
- "The High Contracting Parties undertake to hold free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature."
- "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."
- "The participating States declare that the will of the people, freely and fairly expressed through periodic and genuine elections, is the basis of the authority and legitimacy of all government."
- "Every citizen shall enjoy the following rights: b. to vote and to be elected in genuine periodic elections, which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and by secret ballot that guarantees the free expression of the will of the voters."
- "State Parties shall implement this Charter in accordance with the following principles: 4. Holding of regular, transparent, free and fair elections."
- "At the beginning of the new century and millennium, we reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of democracy and its core values in our respective countries. In particular, we undertake to work with renewed determination to enforce the inalienable right of the individual to participate by means of free, credible and democratic political processes in periodically electing their leaders for a fixed term of office."
- "The Parties hereto proceed from the assumption that elections of the elective bodies of state power, local self-governments, other bodies of people’s (national) representation, elective officials are compulsory and they are carried out in terms fixed by the constitutions and laws."
- "At the very least, elections must be held often enough to ensure that governmental authority continues to reflect the Will of the People, which…is the basis of governmental legitimacy."
- "Regular elections constitute a key element of the democratization process and therefore, are essential ingredients for good governance, the rule of law, the maintenance and promotion of peace, security, stability and development."
- "To ensure that the will of the people serves as the basis of the authority of government, the participating States will (7.1) hold elections at reasonable intervals, as established by law."
- "All the elections shall be organized on the dates or at periods fixed by the Constitution or the electoral laws."
- "Elections must not only be regular, but they must also be held at reasonable intervals. In most constitutions, elections are held from between 2 to 5 years."
- "While no particular schedule of periodicity is set by the instruments, general limitations on discretion are discernible. At the very least, elections must be held often enough to ensure that governmental authority continues to reflect the will of the people, which, as already noted, is the basis of governmental authority."
- "The requirement that elections be held periodically is expressly stated in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art. 21, para. 3) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (art. 25b). The importance of this provision should not be minimized. Once-only elections (for instance, at the time of the country's gaining independence, or of its transition from an authoritarian regime) will not suffice for international human rights purposes. Rather, this provision makes clear the requirement of a sustained democratic order, continually answerable to the will of the people. (72) While no particular schedule of periodicity is set by the instruments, general limitations on discretion are discernible. At the very least, elections must be held often enough to ensure that governmental authority continues to reflect the will of the people, which, as already noted, is the basis of governmental legitimacy."
- "Genuine periodic elections in accordance with paragraph (b) are essential to ensure the accountability of representatives for the exercise of the legislative or executive powers vested in them. Such elections must be held at intervals which are not unduly long and which ensure that the authority of government continues to be based on the free expression of the will of electors."
- "Elections must be held at regular intervals; a legislative assembly's term of office must not exceed five years."
- "Attention should also be given to the appropriate time interval between calling and setting elections, so that parties and candidates have sufficient time to prepare for elections, particularly for communicating political messages to the electorate."
- "In time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States Parties to the present Covenant may take measures derogating from their obligations under the present Covenant to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with their obligations under international law and do not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion or social origin."
- "A state party may take measures derogating from its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights pursuant to Article 4 (hereinafter called "derogation measures") only when faced with a situation of exceptional and actual or imminent danger which threatens the life of the nation. A threat to the life of the nation is one that: (a) affects the whole of the population and either the whole or part of the territory of the State, and (b) threatens the physical integrity of the population, the political independence or the territorial integrity of the State or the existence or basic functioning of institutions indispensable to ensure and project the rights recognized in the Covenant."
- "The severity, duration, and geographic scope of any derogation measure shall be such only as are strictly necessary to deal with the threat to the life of the nation and are proportionate to its nature and extent."
- "The participating States confirm that any derogations from obligations relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms during a state of public emergency must remain strictly within the limits provided for by international law, in particular the relevant international instruments by which they are bound, especially with respect to rights from which there can be no derogation. they also reaffirm that: (25.1) measures derogating from such obligations must be taken in strict conformity with the procedural requirements laid down in those instruments; (25.2) the imposition of a state of public emergency must be proclaimed officially, publicly, and in accordance with the provisions laid down by law; (25.3) measures derogating from obligations will be limited to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation."
- "Postponement of scheduled elections necessitated by public emergency may be permitted in certain limited circumstances, but only if and to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation. Any such exigencies must comply with all the rigid international standards for such derogations and must not threaten democracy itself. Indeed, the UDHR itself proclaims that any limitations on the rights and freedoms contained therein must be for the purpose of "meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and general welfare in a democratic society." Accordingly, the interruption of periodicity will, in all but the most exceptional circumstances, violate international standards."
- "The constitutional and legal framework should: provide for the regular scheduling of elections."
- "The constitutional and legal framework should: provide that elections are held not fewer than 45 days and not more than 90 days from the call of the election date."
- "When electoral related laws are to be developed or modified through regular legislative procedures, publishing the legislative calendar well in advance is important for providing extra-parliamentary political parties, civil society organizations and individual citizens an opportunity to prepare and represent their interests in the process."
- "Essential elements of representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and the separation of powers and independence of the branches of government."
- "State Parties shall strive to institutionalize good political governance through: (7) Organising regular, free and fair elections."
- "Electoral boundaries should be regularly reviewed to reflect demographic changes."
- "Redistricting should be conducted periodically to ensure that equality among voters is not diminished due to population movements"
- "In order to guarantee equal voting power, the distribution of seats must be reviewed at least every ten years, preferably outside of election periods."
- "Districts should be reviewed sufficiently in advance of elections in order to minimize the effect of new boundaries on the election results and to avoid instability and voter confusion and disappointment."
- "Each time elections are scheduled, the dates set out in the calendar for each phase of the process must allow adequate time for effective campaigning and public information efforts, for voters to inform themselves, and for the necessary administrative, legal, training and logistic arrangements to be made. The electoral calendar should itself be publicized as part of civic information activities, in the interests of transparency and of securing public understanding and confidence in the process."
- "In addition, the electoral calendar should provide adequate time for campaigning and public information efforts."
- "Fulfillment of the following criteria is essential if electoral registers are to be reliable: ii. there must be regular up-dates, at least once a year. Where voters are not registered automatically, registration must be possible over a relatively long period."
- "Every citizen has the right to vote in periodic and genuine elections, which should be by universal and equal suffrage and by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors, in accordance with national law. "
- "Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the ECHR states that “(t)he High Contracting Parties undertake to hold free elections at reasonable intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature”. It does not deal with the vote of citizens abroad in particular. "
- "As regards, in particular, the choice of electoral system, the Court reiterates that the Contracting States enjoy a wide margin of appreciation in this sphere. In that regard, Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 goes no further than prescribing “free” elections held at “reasonable intervals”, “by secret ballot” and “under conditions which will ensure the free expression of the opinion of the people”. Subject to that reservation, it does not create any “obligation to introduce a specific system” such as proportional representation or majority voting with one or two ballots (see Mathieu-Mohin and Clerfayt, cited above, § 54). "
- "Elections must be held at regular intervals; a legislative assembly’s term of office must not exceed five years. "
- "There must be regular updates, at least once a year, so that municipal (local) authorities get into the habit of performing the various tasks involved in updating at the same time every year. Where registration of voters is not automatic, a fairly long time period must be allowed for such registration. "
- "Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights provide that elections must be held periodically. General elections are usually held at four- or five-yearly intervals, while longer periods are possible for presidential elections, although the maximum should be seven years. "
- "[Consider] signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other core international human rights treaties. "
- "Tak[e] proactive measures to eliminate all barriers in law and in practice that prevent or hinder citizens, in particular women, persons belonging to marginalized groups or minorities, persons with disabilities and persons in vulnerable situations, from participating fully in effectively in political and public affairs, including, inter alia, reviewing and repealing measures that unreasonably restrict the right to participate in public affairs, and considering adopting, on the basis of reliable data on participation, temporary special measure, including legislative acts, aimed at increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in all aspects of political and public life; "
- "Moreover, considerations of expediency and the necessity for tight time-limits designed to avoid delaying the electoral process, although often justified, may nevertheless not serve as a pretext for undermining the effectiveness of electoral procedures (see, mutatis mutandis, Namat Aliyev, cited above, § 90)."
- "Democracy requires, in particular, the holding, at regular intervals, of free, fair and transparent elections, based on the respect and exercise, without any hindrance or discrimination, of the right to freedom and physical integrity for every voter and every candidate, the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, especially through the press and other communications media, freedom of assembly and demonstration, and freedom of association."
- "Democracy requires, in particular, the holding, at regular intervals, of free, fair and transparent elections, based on the respect and exercise, without any hindrance or discrimination, of the right to freedom and physical integrity for every voter and every candidate, the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, especially through the press and other communications media, freedom of assembly and demonstration, and freedom of association."
- "Appropriate and proportionate heightened security measures may be instituted in response to emergency security situations with a view to restoring or maintaining public order. In doing so, international obligations and standards set out that limitations of fundamental rights and freedoms during a state of emergency can be justified only by strict and exceptional necessity in light of a grave and imminent threat."
- "Electoral legislation should be enacted sufficiently in advance of elections to enable voters and all participants in the process – including election-administration bodies, candidates, parties and the media – to become informed of the rules. Electoral legislation enacted at the “last minute” has the potential to undermine trust in the process and diminish the opportunity for political participants and voters to become familiar with the rules of the electoral process in a timely manner."
- "Ideally, the legal framework should ensure that people or institutions establishing the boundaries of constituencies are neutral, independent and impartial. The legal framework needs to also provide for maximum public input and participation in the process."
- "As a good practice, the boundaries of electoral constituencies should be examined and reviewed every ten years and, ideally, shortly after the completion of a periodic population census. "