GENERAL ASSEMBLY PROPOSAL
Free and Fair Elections
A resolution to increase democratic freedoms.Proposed by: HanaliaCategory: Furtherment of DemocracyStrength: Significant
Description: The General Assembly,
CLARIFIES that this resolution shall apply only to member nations which have democratic processes and does not require any member nation to establish them;
RECALLS the previous work of this Assembly in aiding the establishment of a democratic process in member nations during a period of transition;
NOTING the unique position of this Assembly, as an international organization independent of national governments and other political institutions, to be able to monitor and validate the electoral processes within member nations impartially,
DEFINES a free and fair election as a public vote by secret ballot to select individuals for public office the outcome of which is conclusive and binding, where voters have unhindered access to voting methods and have not been coerced into their vote, and of which the results are made accessible to the public;
ALLOWS for a voter to be denied their vote if there is evidence to suggest their intention to defraud the electoral process;
UNDERSTANDING the integral role of free and fair elections in a democratic society, the results of which must be valid, as a true representation of the voters viewpoint,
MANDATES that all elections in member nations are free and fair in nature;
EXPANDS the mandate of the Organization for Electoral Assistance, henceforth the OEA, to cover the following:INSTRUCTS member nations to allow full and transparent access to all areas of the electoral process to an OEA delegation to ensure its findings are accurate;
- The OEA shall compile and make available a "Code of Best Practice for the Organization and Implementation of Elections" so that member nations may review their own electoral process in relation to this international standard.
- The OEA shall send a delegation of OEA representatives to observe and report on the electoral process, where one is established, in member nations
-at least once every ten years, or
-every other election cycle if the time between elections exceeds five years, or
-at the request of a member nation.- During the observation the subject nation may request that the OEA delegation focuses on one or more particular aspects of the election or the electoral process. The OEA delegation shall then compile a report on its findings, including, where appropriate, comments on the following:
-issues to be addressed as requested by the subject nation, or
-recommendations for improvement, or
-commendation on successes, or
-validity of the result, or
-extent of any fraud or vote rigging, or
-overall condition of the electoral process;
REQUIRES public availability and accessibility to the report made by an OEA delegation, including access to the press;
RECOMMENDS that member nations take appropriate action, should an election be deemed to not be free and fair by an OEA delegation's report, this may require a rerun of the election.
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