Summary
Regardless of their ideological position, political parties should be treated equally in being recognized and registering as a party.
Election Parts
Quotes
- Authentic elections assume equal and fair legal conditions for registration of candidates, lists of candidates and political parties (coalitions). Registration requirements should be clear, and they should not include conditions that may become the grounds for limitations or privileges of a discriminatory nature. Any arbitrary or discriminatory application of norms for registration of political parties (coalitions), candidates, lists of candidates is not allowed.
- If there are no credible opposition candidates, unreasonable restrictions on the formation or conduct of political parties or candidates, or no reasonable prospect that voters would have the power to vote incumbents out of office, then the genuineness of elections is called into question.
- "FAIR" [is] an electoral process where the "playing field" is reasonably level and accessible to all electors, parties and candidates...
- The provisions for registration of political parties must not be designed to exclude political competitors.
- State authorities should remain neutral in dealing with the process of establishment, registration (where applied) and activities of political parties and refrain from any measures that could privilege some political forces and discriminate others. All political parties should be given equal opportunities to participate in elections.
- In the context of elections, the expression "level playing field" refers to a requirements that the election rules and regulations apply fairly to all political parties and candidates. It requires that the Electoral Commission deals openly and on equal terms with each of the political parties to enhance transparency.
- ‘Threshold’ requirements can…limit the representation possibilities for parties that fail to obtain a certain percentage of the vote.
- The legal framework should ensure that all political parties and candidates are able to compete in elections on the basis of equitable treatment.
- It is of paramount importance that political parties and their members have the right to participate in political and public debate, regardless of whether the position taken by them is in line with government policy or advocates for legal or societal change or is unpopular or offensive to some groups.
- Paragraph 7.6 [of the Copenhagen Document] requires that the government provide political parties and organisations "with the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities".
- The rights of opposition parties have to be effectively protected in parliament.