Book Description

The European Commission for Democracy through Law, or Venice Commission, is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. It gives legal opinions on the development and operation of democratic institutions and constitutional law. The Venice Commission's work is aimed at upholding the three underlying principles of Europe's constitutional heritage: democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Since its inception, the Venice Commission has been particularly active in the field of elections, the cornerstone of democracy. This book is a compilation of the main Venice Commission texts dealing in general terms with elections and referendums. First come the reference documents: the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters and the Code of Good Practice on Referendums. These are followed by a judicious selection of general studies on such fundamental topics as recurrent challenges and problematic issues in electoral law in Europe, election systems, the representation of national minorities on elected bodies - through the application of general rules and specific measures - and a comparison of the legal rules on referendums in European states. This book is intended not only for election specialists (members of electoral commissions, academics etc) but also for observers, politicians and, more generally, any member of the electorate.