The Quick Count and Election Observation

A P P E N D I C E S
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APPENDIX 4—CONTINUED
Inter-American Democratic Charter
Article 1
The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments
have an obligation to promote and defend it.
…
Article 3
Essential elements of representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in
accordance with the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections
based on secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty
of the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations,
and the separation of powers and independence of the branches of government.
Protocol (No. 1) to the [European] Convention for the Protection of
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Article 3
The High Contracting Parties undertake to hold free elections at reasonable
intervals by secret ballot, under conditions which will ensure the free expression
of the opinion of the people in the choice of the legislature.
Document of the 1990 Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on
the Human Dimension (Copenhagen Document of the OSCE)
...
[The participating States] recognize that pluralistic democracy and the rule of
law are essential for ensuring respect for all human rights and fundamental
freedoms, the development of human contacts and the resolution of other
issues of a related humanitarian character. They therefore welcome the commitment
expressed by all participating States to the ideals of democracy and
political pluralism as well as their common determination to build democratic
societies based on free elections and the rule of law.
…
In order to strengthen respect for, and enjoyment of, human rights and fundamental
freedoms, to develop human contacts and to resolve issues of a related
humanitarian character, the participating States agree on the following:
…
(3) They reaffirm that democracy is an inherent element of the rule of law. They
recognize the importance of pluralism with regard to political organizations.
…
(5) They solemnly declare that among those elements of justice which are
essential to the full expression of the inherent dignity and of the equal and
inalienable rights of all human beings are the following:
(5.1) - free elections that will be held at reasonable intervals by secret ballot
or by equivalent free voting procedure, under conditions which ensure in practice
the free expression of the opinion of the electors in the choice of their
representatives;