Candidates constitute an essential element of elections.
Hence, it is very important that this matter be regulated in the constitution
and, in more detail, in the legislation.
The requirements to be a candidate are directly linked with the exercise
of fundamental rights, the right to elect and be elected. Putting forward
candidates enables voters to choose and, at the same time, it permits citizens
interested in access to elected office to be elected. The candidate constitutes
a political offer on which voters can pronounce.
The regulation of candidates should deal mainly with issues concerning the
requirements for nomination for election. It should also determine who is
entitled to nominate candidates, that is to say, whether this right is only reserved
for political parties or is extended to other political organizations, groups
of citizens, social movements or individuals as independent candidates.
Furthermore, the legal framework for candidates should provide for gender equality with regard to nomination and specify the registration procedure and campaign requirements before the competent authority.
Depending on the electoral system, voters are faced with different types of
choice regarding candidates, as there is the possibility of ranked choice
voting, preferential vote or gradual elimination, voting for individual
candidates or voting for candidates included in a party a list.
Overall, the form in which candidates appear on the ballot affects the outcome
of the vote. The basic distinction between the various forms of ballots is
between the nominal ballot and the party list ballot. In the case of nominal
ballots, seats are allocated according to the votes obtained by a specific
candidate, while in the case of party lists the decisive factor for translating
votes into seats is the sum of votes obtained by each list or by the total of
candidates included in each party list.
