For an electoral process to be considered free and fair, it must take place under conditions that will permit the vote, in reality, to be free, equal, direct and secret. That is to say, the following must be guaranteed:
- universality of the vote
- freely asserted democratic rights and freedom of expression, especially related to the will of the people
- elections held periodically
- neutrality of the authority administering elections
- procedures that ensure votes will be cast freely and counted accurately and an independent control system ensuring honesty of the process
The sections to follow will take an in-depth look at each of these requirements.
