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International Election Standards

The global norms and treaties that define what a free and fair election looks like, and whether they are enforceable.

The Legal Framework

International election standards are grounded in human rights treaties. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) declares that 'everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country' through 'periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage.' The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) elaborates these rights, and regional instruments like the European Convention on Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights provide additional protections.

These treaties establish minimum standards: elections must be periodic, genuine, conducted by universal and equal suffrage, held by secret ballot, and must guarantee the free expression of the will of the electors. The specific electoral system is left to each country, but the process must meet these baseline requirements.