811 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "Freedom of association is a prerequisite for the full enjoyment of the right to take part in government, including by forming or joining political parties."
- "The following conditions should exist in a country holing an election: … respect for the rights and freedoms of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly…"
- "The freedom of expression, assembly and association are thus essential conditions for the effective exercise of the right to vote and must be upheld throughout the entire election process."
- "The sanctity of the freedom of association and expression should be protected and strictly adhered to. Relevant electoral laws and code of conduct should provide for this sanctity."
- "Guarantees of free speech, opinion, information, assembly, movement and association take on greater significance during elections. The prevailing atmosphere should be one of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms…"
- "Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right to freedom of association with others. This right has a broad scope and clearly includes the right to form and participate in political organizations."
- "No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, public health or morals or for the protections of the rights and freedoms of others."
- "No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This Article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of the armed forces, of the police or of the administration of the State."
- "...The requirements for party/candidate registration and the implementation of such requirements do not place unreasonable restriction on freedom of association and restrict the political options offered to the electorate."
- "Political parties should not face unreasonable restrictions on participation or campaigning."
- "Emergency or other exceptional legislation restricting fundamental rights should be repealed or suspended. Exceptional measures must not be imposed unless strictly required by the exigencies of the situation and must not be calculated to corrupt or unnecessarily delay the political process."
- "Accordingly, paragraph 2 of article 22 permits the same categories of limitations as do articles 19 and 21 (national security, public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals, or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others). Article 22 also requires procedural safeguards similar to those required in Article 21, namely that any restrictions be prescribed by law and be necessary in a democratic society for the protection of public interests."
- "States of emergency should be declared only in conformity with the law and be authorized only in the event of a public emergency which threatens the life of the nation, where measures compatible with the Constitution and laws in force are plainly inadequate to address the situation. Relevant international standards further require that a state of emergency be officially proclaimed before any exceptional measures are put in place. Any such measure must be strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, and must not be inconsistent with other requirements under international law."
- "No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those which are prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security of public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of the public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others."
- "The exercise of this right [freedom of association] shall be subject only to such restrictions established by law as may be necessary in a democratic society, in the interest of national security, public safety or public order, or to protect public health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others."
- "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: (c) To participate in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country."
- "States Parties shall guarantee to persons with disabilities political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others, and shall undertake to: (b.) Promote actively an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and encourage their participation in public affairs, including: (i.) Participation in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country, and in the activities and administration of political parties."
- "The Parties undertake not to interfere with the right of persons belonging to national minorities to participate in the activities of non-governmental organisations, both at the national and international levels."
- "For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (a) To meet or assemble peacefully; (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups; (c) To communicate with non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations."
- "In order to advance political, economic and social governance, State Parties shall commit themselves to: 2. Fostering popular participation and partnership with civil society organizations."
- "The participating States will recognize as NGOs those which declare themselves as such, according to existing national procedures, and will facilitate the ability of such organizations to conduct their national activities freely on their territories."
- "States Parties undertake to implement programmes and carry out activities designed to promote democratic principles and practices as well as consolidate a culture of democracy and peace. To this end, States Parties shall: 4. integrate civic education in their educational curricular and develop appropriate programmes and activities."
- "In particular, States should: ...Initiate or facilitate national programmes of civic education, to ensure that the population are familiar with election procedures and issues."
- "The Electoral Commission should be required by law to provide for a satisfactory and adequately funded voter education programme that helps voters to be acquainted with the voting procedures and other aspects of civic awareness."
- "The public authorities have a number of positive obligations; inter alia, they must: i. submit the candidatures received to the electorate ii. enable voters to know the lists and candidates standing for election, for example through appropriate posting. iii. The above information must also be available in the languages of the national minorities. "
- "Election administrators…should work to provide to every voter the highest quality service required to enable voters to exercise their rights with the least possible inconvenience, given the circumstances and the country’s legal framework. In particular, they should: (i) Make it as convenient as possible for voters to participate in the election process; (ii) Ensure that voters adequately understand the election process; (iii) Do everything possible to provide a way to vote for people with special needs, such as blind, physically handicapped, or illiterate voters, or voters living in remote areas."
- "Principles guiding the work of electoral authorities can be summarized as…responsiveness to public needs for voter information and civic education..."
- "To ensure consistency and quality control, overall responsibility for the co-ordination of civic and voter education should rest with the EMBs."
- "Responsibility for impartial voter education often rests with the EMB, frequently in conjunction with civil society and the media."
- "While political parties, civic organizations and even international organizations may contribute to voter/civic education efforts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the government and the election authorities to ensure that voters receive objective and impartial information."
- "As with voter registration, a passive government policy, leaving education to political parties, churches and NGOs, may not be sufficient to establish the basic conditions for the conduct of a free and fair election."
- "An education programme…should be neutral and focused mainly on the voting procedure"
- "Civic and voter education should be provided in a manner that is non-partisan, independent, co-ordinated and consistent."
- "It is ultimately the responsibility of the government and the election authorities to ensure that the voters receive objective and impartial information."
- "Well organized, non-partisan voter information programmes and unhindered distribution of political propaganda are therefore critical elements of genuine elections."
- "It is therefore essential that this information is provided in a timely manner, allowing sufficient time to fully inform voters so that they can make use of the information."
- "It is therefore essential that this information is provided in a timely manner, allowing voters sufficient time to make use of the information."
- "Only transparency, impartiality and independence from political motivated manipulation will ensure proper administration of the election process, from the pre-election period to the end of the processing of results."
- "Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions: (a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives."
- "Neither candidates nor voters must find themselves obliged to reveal their membership of a national minority."
- "The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be guaranteed without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property or official capacity, place of birth or other status."
- "Fundamental freedoms are essential to the democratic character of the campaign period, and all political participants should enjoy the freedom of association and should be able to freely express their campaign messages and assemble with their constituents free from intimidation or hindrance. Citizens should have the right to express their political convictions freely."
- "Respect for fundamental rights a. Democratic elections are not possible without respect for human rights, in particular freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of circulation inside the country, freedom of assembly and freedom of association for political purposes, including the creation of political parties. "
- "In addition to the subjects mentioned above, voter information programmes should include reference to the procedures for voters to protect their electoral rights, including with respect to their voter registration."
- "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."
- "The electoral law should provide a mechanism for the invalidation of election results. In both parliamentary and presidential elections, the decision to partially or fully invalidate election results should be assigned to the highest electoral body. This decision should be reviewable by the highest body of the judiciary or the Constitutional Court. "
- "We commit our Governments to: d) safeguard the human and civil liberties of all citizens including the freedom of…expression…as well as access to the media on the part of all stakeholders, during electoral processes."
- "Individuals or political parties shall have the right to freedom of movement, to campaign and to express political opinions with full access to the media and information within the limits of the laws of the land."
- "Provide that no legal or administrative obstacle stands in the way of unimpeded access to the media on a non-discriminatory basis for all political groupings and individuals wishing to participate in the electoral process."
- "SADC Member States shall adhere to the following principles in the conduct of democratic elections: Equal opportunity for all political parties to access the state media."