642 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "Establish impartial, all-inclusive, competent and accountable national electoral bodies staffed by qualified personnel, as well as competent legal entities including effective constitutional courts to arbitrate in the event of disputes arising from the conduct of elections."
- "An electoral body, however styled…must…act with impartiality."
- "The legal protection afforded to the independence and status of an electoral body is maximised where it is provided for in a country’s Constitution, although some countries make provision for this and other key features of electoral practice in legislation."
- "The administration of the election has been fair and impartial as between all the political parties taking part."
- "An independent electoral commission is generally considered to be an essential element in the organization of free and fair multi-party elections."
- "An electoral commission ought to be an independent body established under the Constitution. It was shown earlier that its very establishment, under the Constitution of the country concerned, lays the foundations for its independence. The term ‘independence’ in this context means that the electoral commission concerned is not subject to the control of the government of the day or any political party or any other body, and acts impartially and professionally towards all political parties."
- "In order for the body which is responsible for the governance and control of an electoral system to play its rightful role in nurturing the integrity of the election process, it must not only be independent of government control, it must be perceived to be so by the general public and the political parties."
- "The experience of Commonwealth observer groups strongly suggests that the independence of an electoral commission can best be achieved in a multi-party system through the formal constitutional recognition of the commission’s role to protect the interest of opposition parties on an impartial basis."
- "Efficiency and impartiality are qualities by which the electoral commission will be judged by the public."
- "Behind any successful recruitment policy for election officials is the recognition that the appointees must not only be fair-minded and impartial in their dealings with the public and political parties but that they must be perceived to be so by all concerned. Thus, active campaigners or officials of political parties would hardly be considered impartial by the supporters of other political parties contesting an election, and so such individuals should not be appointed as election officials."
- "Whether an election administration is composed of multi-party representatives or non-political representatives—whether it is ad hoc or permanent – there is often some contradiction between the ideal of an independent body and the reality that an election administration will never be entirely free of some government influence. The election administration should be structured to protect it from government influence through: legal guarantees of independence…; budgetary independence…; the appointing body (members…may be nominated by the executive, Parliament, judiciary, or political parties in the process. The official appointing body, whether it be the executive, Parliament or judiciary, should just confirm that the nominations are in line with the law, but should not have the right to hand pick an election commission through repeatedly rejecting nominations. The important point is that the source of the nominations comes from a balance of interests); terms of appointment (the independence of the election commission is best guaranteed when an individual is appointed for some reasonable length of time, as they do not have to depend on each government for reappointment, the duration of appointment for the election administration is ideally longer than the term of office of the appointee)."
- "The constitutional and legal framework should: provide for the establishment of an independent and impartial electoral management body."
- "The importance and practical usefulness of an…impartial authority charged with the administration of all aspects of the electoral process are increasingly evident."
- "In a free and fair election, an independent and impartially administered electoral process is essential."
- "In addition, States should take the necessary policy and institutional steps to ensure the progressive achievement and consolidation of democratic goals, including through the establishment of a neutral, impartial or balanced mechanism for the management of elections."
- "The government and judicial bodies directly or indirectly involved in the electoral process, and the electoral commissions on all levels, must be independent and their work open to scrutiny."
- "A national election administration, such as a central election commission or equivalent body, is usually responsible for administering an election. Occasionally, the judiciary may oversee the election process. Whichever body is constituted to administer a particular election, its work should be collegial, non-partisan, transparent, and independent from the authorities and other political influences."
- "In the interest of promoting and entrenching pluralism, multi-party democracy and the integrity of the electoral process, the complete independence and impartiality of the Electoral Commission in dealing with all political parties should be reaffirmed in the constitution."
- "Every EMB is expected to manage elections impartially. Irrespective of the model under which the EMB exists, its source of accountability, management control or funding, it should treat all election participants equally, fairly and even-handedly, without giving advantage to any political tendency or interest group...52. It is important that EMBs be seen to be impartial by the general public. The best way to achieve this is through transparent actions backed by vigorous marketing and public relations efforts."
- "Election administrators should: (i) Act in a strictly neutral and unbiased manner in every matter concerning a political party, candidate, voter, or member of the press or media. (ii) Do nothing that could indicate, or be seen as indicating, partisan support for a candidate, political party, political actor or political tendency. (iii) Conduct themselves, at all times, in an irreproachable manner, exercise sound judgment, and observe the highest levels of personal discretion. (iv) Disclose any relationship that could lead to a conflict of interest with their duties as election administrators. (v) Not accept any gift or favor from a political party, organization, or person involved in the lection process. (vi) Reject any improper influences, and, except as provided by law or custom, refrain from accepting directions relating to the performance of their tasks. (vii) Not participate in any unauthorized activity, including any private activity, that could lead to an actual or perceived conflict of interest wit their duties as election administrators. (viii) Not participate in any activity, including any private activity, that could lead to a perception of sympathy for a particular candidate, political party, political actor, or political tendency. (ix) Not express a view of any subject that is likely to be a political issue in the election. (x) Not communicate with any voter on a matter of partisan significance. (xi) Not wear, carry or display any obviously partisan party symbols or colours."
- "In some established democracies, national and local government officials, whose neutrality and fairness are generally accepted by the electorate, handle electoral administration. Ordinary courts settle disputes, as they have a tradition of fairness and neutrality and generally enjoy the confidence of the electorate. In emerging democracies, there has been an increasing trend to establish independent EMBs. This is seen as an important step in building a tradition of independence and impartiality, as well as building the confidence of the electorate and political parties in the electoral process; however, since there is yet no internally-recognized standard in this respect, the term “independent EMB”...means an autonomous and impartial EMB."
- "The legal framework should clearly define the duties and functions of the EMB. These must particularly include the following: Ensuring that election officials and staff responsible for the administration of the election are well trained and act impartially and independently of any political interest."
- "The functioning of the EMB should not be subject to the direction of any other person, authority or political party. It must function without political favouritism or bias. The EMB must be able to operate free of interference, simply because any allegation of manipulation, perception of bias or alleged interference will have a direct impact not only on the credibility of the body in charge but on the entire election process."
- "The functioning of an electoral body should not be subject to the direction of any other person, authority or political party; it must function without political favour or bias. The body in charge of administering or supervising an election must be able to operate free of interference, simply because any allegation of manipulation, perception of bias, or alleged interference, will have a direct impact, not only on the credibility of the body in charge, but on the entire process. There are many instances in which the perceived influence of a political party or parties of the electoral machinery has severely detracted form the validity of election results. Particularly in developing and emerging democracies, there is a much greater degree of vulnerability to allegations of undue influence and bias, thereby making the entire process more susceptible to credibility judgments, which then inevitably result in a limited acceptance of election results and of the process as a whole."
- "The administration of democratic elections requires that election commissions/bodies are independent and impartial."
- "Regardless of how formed and the degree of partisanship involved, election administration bodies should operate in an independent, collegial, and impartial manner. Once formed, an election administration body must serve the interests of all citizens and electoral participants. No election administration body should act in a partisan manner or exhibit partiality in the performance of its duties."
- "The independence of a central election commission is enhanced if it is composed or respected and suitably qualified individuals and nominated by a balance of interests. It should be able to implement the election legislation and regulations without interference, intimidation, or impediments to its duty. The administering body could also be made up of balance of representatives nominated by political parties. The balance of party representatives can serve as a check on potential misadministration or abuse of office, particularly if parties are represented at all levels of the election administration. If political-party nominees constitute election commissions, they should be prohibited from campaigning and should be able to act independently without fear of retribution or recall."
- "If a judicial body is charged with administering the elections, its independence from executive authorities and political forces must be ensured, including through transparent proceedings. Judicial appointees should be immune from the authority of those standing for office."
- "SADC Member States shall adhere to the following principles in the conduct of democratic elections:Independence of the Judiciary and impartiality of the electoral institutions."
- "Provisions of the law should ensure that an objective, unbiased, independent and effective administrative structure is in place. This entails careful attention to provisions for appointment, remuneration, duties, powers, qualifications and reporting structure of electoral staff. At all levels, staff must be insulated from bias and political pressure. A single line of ultimate authority should be established. These concerns remain important regardless of the type of administration selected."
- "Whatever the structure [of the election authority], legal guarantees should be in place to insulate electoral administration from bias or corruption."
- "An impartial body must be in charge of applying electoral law."
- "An impartial body must be in charge of applying electoral law."
- "1. The preparation and conduct of elections shall be executed openly and publicly. 2. Decisions of electoral bodies, state authorities and local self-governments, made within the framework of their competence related to setting of the term, preparation to and conducting of elections, to provision of and protection of the citizen's voting rights and freedoms, are, in an obligatory manner, subject to official publishing, or they are publicised in another way, in accordance with the procedure and in terms stipulated by laws."
- "An electoral body, however styled…must…act with…a maximum of transparency, where appropriate consulting in a meaningful way with interested parties before decisions are taken on important matters and being prepared to give reasons for such decisions."
- "Election administrators should be prepared: (i) To justify their decisions. (ii) To make freely available the information on which each decision was based. (iii) To arrange effective and reasonable access to relevant documents and information, within the framework of the country’s electoral and freedom of information laws. 17. In addition, election administrators and administrators should: (i) Ensure that the agents of each political party or candidate can fully and effectively exercise their legal rights. (ii) Consult with participants in the electoral process on a regular basis, and in relation to specific decisions, if it is appropriate to do so in the circumstances. (iii) Provide an explanation, in response to reasonable requests, for a decision they have made as part of the electoral process, or a decision made as part of the general operation of the election administration. (iv) Establish a system that allows interested parties to access, in a timely manner, all critical information, documents, and databases used in an election process, or used in the normal operation of the election administration. (v) Disclose any deficiency in the administration of an election if it comes to their attention."
- "Election commissions should operate in an open and transparent manner. All aspects of their work should be open to scrutiny. Transparency can be achieved in a number of way, including party representation on commissions, providing access for media and observers, and by the prompt publication of decisions."
- "When all meetings of the election administration are open, transparency is greatly enhanced, thereby contributing to public confidence in the system. Alternatively, election administration bodies should publish their decisions immediately upon delivery and provide regular and timely briefings for the media."
- "The legal framework should require that all relevant electoral documents be publicly accessible, including election protocols, tabulation and tally sheets, and decisions determining or affecting election results. Such electoral documents should be publicly posted at all levels of election administration, including polling, municipal, and state election commission levels. Detailed tabulations of overall results, including the voting results in each polling station, should be posted at each election commission. These detailed tabulations should also be published in state owned or controlled print media as soon as the results are certified."
- "Judges shall be independent in the discharge of their duties."
- "States should take specific measures guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary, protecting judges from any form of political influence in their decision-making through the constitution or adoption of laws establishing clear procedures and objective criteria for the appointment, remuneration, tenure, promotion, suspension and dismissal of the members of the judiciary and disciplinary sanctions taken against them."
- "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…adherence to the separation of powers, including the protection of the independence of the judiciary and of effective parliaments."
- "In support of Good Governance We have agreed to: ensure the independence of the judicial system that will be able to prevent abuse of power and corruption."
- "State parties shall strive to institutionalize good political governance through: 3. An independent judiciary."
- "This recommendation is applicable to all persons exercising judicial functions, including those dealing with constitutional, criminal, civil, commercial and administrative law matters... All necessary measures should be taken to respect, protect and promote the independence of judges."
- "Democratic elections should be conducted by…c) accountable electoral institutions…."
- "States should take all necessary and appropriate measures to ensure the transparency of the entire electoral process including, for example, through the presence of party agents and duly accredited observers."
- "Whatever the legal basis for the establishment of an electoral body, its members should be appointed in a manner which ensures that they enjoy the confidence of both public and political parties alike. The electoral body and its members should be subject only to the Constitution and the law of the land; they should be removable only for cause; and ideally they should not be persons whose further career advancement may be dependent on their performance on the electoral body. They should be served by a secretariat accountable entirely to the electoral body. Accountability of the electoral body directly to Parliament is preferable to accountability through the executive government."
- "Although an electoral body should enjoy independence from direction or control, whether from the government or any other quarter, it is accountable to the electorate within the law, and should act accordingly."
- "Transparency in this context covers a wide range of decision-making issues by the election management team. It embraces meetings with each political party contesting an election, release of information on a timely basis on major developments in the preparatory stages of an election, affording an opportunity to political parties to object to the appointment of individual staff members and election officers and the taking of appropriate remedial action where an objection is found to be justified."