Abstract

The right to vote and to stand for elections is a fundamental human right. Guaranteed by several international human rights conventions, this right is also central to the constitutional order of states. International human rights bodies are challenged to strike an appropriate balance between enforcing individual rights and respecting the sovereign right of states to determine their political order. Consequently, this right is granted relatively weak protection in international law. Nevertheless, the European Court of Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Committee, and other international human rights bodies have been able to provide clear and detailed guidance regarding both the content and the admissible limitations of the right to participate in free and fair, secret and periodical elections based on universal and equal suffrage. These international standards resemble and are fully compatible with those of Swiss law.