Defining Elections

Abstract

There is no universal model for the conduct of free and fair elections. Nor are there any erga omnes rules under international law for the conduct and supervision of democratic elections. The customs of the world differ. Electoral laws, rules, regulations, procedures and modalities are not the same. Every country has its specific needs and its elections must be consistent with the aspirations and needs of its people. It must be emphasized that before the passage of UN Resolution 435 in 1978 on the Namibian political question, which so popularized election monitoring and observation, now one of the most important functions of the UN, elections were organized in developing democracies without monitoring and observation on the scale we see today. The results of these elections were often adjudged to be free expression of the will of the people. So also were the results of pre-colonial and pre-independence elections. International observation and monitoring, which has now become an adjunct to the electoral process, are undertaken to enhance credibility, transparency and inspire confidence in the international community, governments and foreign investors. This phase will be revisited under Election Observation and External Aid.