3619 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "Although the Covenant does not impose any particular electoral system, any system operating in a State party must be compatible with the rights protected by article 25 and must guarantee and give effect to the free expression of the will of the electors."
- "...[T]he general aim of all of these electoral systems purportedly remains the same, namely, to translate the will of the general electorate into representative government."
- "Democratic elections require that there be an election system in place to convert the will of the people, expressed through their votes, into seats or mandates to be held by elected representatives (in legislative bodies or other public offices)."
- "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."
- "Measures derogating from the provisions of the Covenant must be of an exceptional and temporary nature... the situation must amount to a public emergency which threatens the life of the nation, and the State party must have officially proclaimed a state of emergency…When proclaiming a state of emergency with consequences that could entail derogation from any provision of the Covenant, States must act within their constitutional and other provisions of law that govern such proclamation and the exercise of emergency powers."
- "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."
- "In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in article 2 of this Convention, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, color, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights: (c) Political rights, in particular the right to participate in elections-to vote and to stand for election-on the basis of universal and equal suffrage, to take part in the Government as well as in the conduct of public affairs at any level and to have equal access to public service."
- "The principle of one person, one vote must apply, and within the framework of each State's electoral system, the vote of one elector should be equal to the vote of another."
- "To ensure that the will of the people serves as the basis of the authority of government, the participating States will: (7.3) guarantee universal and equal suffrage to adult citizens."
- "Every voter is entitled to exercise his or her right equally with others and to have his or her vote accorded equivalent weight to that of others."
- "The electoral system should ensure that there is equal suffrage through the principle of ‘one person, one vote’. This principle means that every voter has the same number of votes in an election, and that each vote is equal in weight."
- "Equal suffrage requires that the weight of each person's vote be essentially the same. This has particular significance when developing the legal framework for delimiting election districts."
- "Electoral units must be drawn in a manner that preserves equality among voters, a cornerstone of democratic elections. However, this does not preclude considering convenience and accessibility for voters, including through utilizing pre-existing administrative boundaries."
- "Elections conducted on the basis of equal suffrage require equality of voting power. In principle, no vote should carry proportionally more weight than another, so that there is an approximately equal number of voters per elected representative in each district."
- "When voting is conducted on the basis of electoral districts, the said districts shall be established on an equitable basis such as would make the result most accurately and completely reflect the will of all the voters."
- "The process of identification of electoral districts and boundaries should respect the international norm of equal suffrage. Such delimitation should not be designed to dilute or discount the votes of any particular groups or areas."
- "...[T]he number of representatives for each district should be proportional to the size of the electorate."
- "Deviation from uniform populations in electoral units should be kept to a minimum;"
- "The delimitation process should: be conducted on the basis of clearly identified criteria such as population distribution, community of interest, convenience, geographical features and other natural or administrative boundaries."
- "The drawing of boundaries…may include the use of criteria such as population size and geographical or administrative boundaries."
- "States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country and, in particular, shall ensure to women, on equal terms with men, the right: (b) To participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government."
- "In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in article 2 of this Convention, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights: (c) Political rights, in particular the right to participate in elections-to vote and to stand for election-on the basis of universal and equal suffrage, to take part in the Government as well as in the conduct of public affairs at any level and to have equal access to public service."
- "Every citizen shall enjoy the following rights and opportunities: a. to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives."
- "The Parties shall create the conditions necessary for the effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities in cultural, social and economic life and in public affairs, in particular those affecting them."
- "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to have effective access, on a non-discriminatory basis, to participation in the government of his or her country and in the conduct of public affairs."
- "The following shall be declared as constitutional principles shared by all Member States: (d) Popular participation in decision-making, strict adherence to democratic principles and decentralization of power at all levels of governance."
- "It is the right and responsibility of all citizens to participate in decisions relating to their own development. This is also a necessary condition for the full and effective exercise of democracy. Promoting and fostering diverse forms of participation strengthens democracy."
- "SADC Member States shall adhere to the following principles in the conduct of democratic elections: Full participation of the citizens in the political process."
- "All persons have a right to participate in public affairs, including in civil society activities and, through their right to freedom of association, to form and join civil society organisations."
- "States Parties shall take specific positive action to promote participative governance and the equal participation of women in the political life of their countries through affirmative action, enabling national legislation and other measures to ensure that: a) women participate without any discrimination in all elections;b) women are represented equally at all levels with men in all electoral processes;c) women are equal partners with men at all levels of development and implementation of State policies and development programmes."
- "State Parties shall create the necessary conditions for full and active participation of women in the decision-making processes and structures at all levels as a fundamental element in the promotion and exercise of a democratic culture."
- "States shall promote the full and equal participation of women in the political structures of their countries as a fundamental element in the promotion and exercise of a democratic culture."
- "The legal framework regulating drawing boundaries for electoral units should state: The frequency of such determination; the criteria for such determination; the degree of public participation in the process; the respective roles of the legislature, judiciary and executive in the process; The ultimate authority for the final determination of the electoral units."
- "there should be a high degree of public participation in the process of drawing boundaries."
- "When constituency boundaries are redefined – which they must be in a single member system – it must be done: - impartially; - without detriment to national minorities; - taking account of the opinion of a committee, the majority of whose members are independent; this committee should preferably include a geographer, a sociologist and a balanced representation of the parties and, if necessary, representatives of national minorities."
- "Traditionally, legal frameworks have allowed their representatives into election facilities including polling sites and counting centers, to witness voting, ballot counting and vote tabulation processes. Legal frameworks also recognize the right for such representatives to monitor many other processes, including, for example, drawing election districts, voter registration processes, as well as ballot production and distribution."
- "Ensure the transparency and integrity of the entire electoral process by facilitating the deployment of representatives of political parties and individual candidates at polling and counting stations and by accrediting national and/other observers/monitors."
- "The drawing of electoral boundaries and the method of allocating votes should not distort the distribution of voters or discriminate against any group, and should not exclude or restrict unreasonably the right of citizens to choose their representatives freely."
- "Equal suffrage also requires that every citizen's vote should have equal weight irrespective of distinctions such as race, color, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property birth or other status. Demarcation of election district boundaries therefore may not be drawn in ways that divide minority communities and thus reduce their voting power."
- "The basic principle in relation to delimitation of electoral districts is that it should be done fairly and should not have the effect of prejudicing the representation of any party or minority grouping."
- "In addition, electoral units must not be drawn on a discriminatory basis that dilutes the voting power of ethnic, national, racial, religious, or other groups."
- "Constituency delimitation…designed to dilute or discount the votes of particular individuals, groups or geographic areas are unacceptable in the light of the international norm of equality of suffrage."
- "The delimitation process should: be devoid of manipulation of electoral boundaries to favour particular groups or political interests."
- "The geographic boundaries of electoral districts should facilitate the equitable representation of national minorities."
- "in some cases, electoral districts may be purposely designed and drawn to ensure that minority groupings are represented."
- "[Participating States] will... affirm that it is their goal to achieve not only de jure but de facto equality of opportunity between men and women and to promote effective measures to that end."