The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is publishing today an expanded edition of its publication Free and Fair Elections written by Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill (All Souls College, Oxford University). The study reviews a decade - 1994-2004 - of progress in the law and practice of elections around the world. It points out that the elections debate is no longer a matter concerning States in transition from conflict or from authoritarian forms of government. On the contrary, it is of growing relevance to all democratic systems, now facing the internal challenges of alienation and distrust of the process.

According to Professor Goodwin-Gill "the issue of representation will be increasingly dominant in the future, not just with regard to free and fair elections but also the very meaning of democracy at ground level. Globalization and technological change have also brought new challenges for the democratic process".

International law, as such, does not provide straight answers to the question, "Was this a free and fair election?". It does, however, provide the standard to be achieved, namely, that the election produces an outcome which expresses the will of the people. It also prescribes certain obligations of conduct – protection of fundamental human rights – and of result – universal suffrage, equality and secret ballot – all of which confine and structure the conduct of States as primary actors. The "free and fair" criteria are the normative background against which to make a value judgement on the electoral process in context.

In 1994 the IPU made a landmark contribution to this debate with the first edition of Free and Fair Elections authored by Professor Goodwin-Gill and the adoption of a Declaration on Criteria for Free and Fair Elections by the IPU Council. The new, expanded edition of Free and Fair Elections demonstrates how the concept of free and fair elections has become firmly entrenched in the law of international and regional organizations in the past decade. It insists on the evolving nature of the elections debate. Much of the 1994 agenda remains topical, including the need for gender balance; better electoral administration; greater protection of political rights; increased accountability; and regulation of funding. In other instances, the lines of struggle have broadened, to include not only women and particular marginalized groups, such as the disabled, but also those disadvantaged by the system. Innovative mechanisms such as electronic voting have also come to the fore.

Other related goals are becoming increasingly urgent. Whereas in 1994 it was important to stress the significance of elections according to internationally defined and agreed standards, now in the twenty-first century these important events are seen in a social and political context that is expected to ensure the free expression of the will of the people, and a result which is consonant with the goal of representative, accountable democracy.

"All electoral professionals, no matter how long established their democracy may be, have something to learn from this important study. The IPU's Declaration continues to provide international benchmarks and criteria for assessing elections which are invaluable to those Electoral Commissions working to set measures of election quality", said Mrs. Kate Sullivan, Head of Electoral Administration at the United Kingdom Electoral Commission.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 143 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 16 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org Mr. Andy Richardson, IPU Parliamentary Resource Centre Phone: +41 22 919 41 35 E-mail: ar@mail.ipu.org