Summary
Suspension or exclusion of participatory rights is prohibited except on grounds established by law and which are objective and reasonable.
Obligations
Election Parts
Issues
- Candidature
- International Human Rights Obligations and the Legal Framework
- The Legal Framework and Dispute Resolution
- Counting Cast Ballots
- The Legal Framework and Election Management
- The Legal Framework and Voter Education
- Partisan and Nonpartisan Observation of Vote Counting and Tabulation
- The Legal Framework for Electoral Systems and Boundary Delimitation
Criteria
- The principles of rule of law were promoted
- The laws regulating elections were equally enforced and were not arbitrarily applied
- Vote counting and tabulation processes protected the right to be elected
- Any restrictions placed on fundamental rights were reasonable and objective
- The vote-counting process was transparent and observable
- The legal framework for elections was consistent with international human rights
- Every citizen had the right to be elected, subject only to reasonable restrictions
- Participatory rights were protected at the highest level of the law (the constitution)
- Laws and procedures were not arbitrarily applied
Quotes
- Any conditions which apply to the exercise of the rights protected by article 25 should be based on objective and reasonable criteria. For example, it may be reasonable to require a higher age for election or appointment to particular offices than for exercising the right to vote, which should be available to every adult citizen. The exercise of these rights by citizens may not be suspended or excluded except on grounds which are established by law and which are objective and reasonable. For example, established mental incapacity may be a ground for denying a person the right to vote or to hold office.
- 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;