HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS AFFIRMATIVE ELECTORAL RULES
Press Release
HR/CT/445
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS AFFIRMATIVE ELECTORAL RULES
19951026 GENEVA, 25 October (UN Information Service) -- The right to vote and to be elected in genuine periodic elections, which should be by universal and equal suffrage, were the focus of discussion when the Human Rights Committee this afternoon discussed its draft general comment on article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The article pertains to the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs.Members debated whether parliamentary seats should be reserved for minorities in order to ensure their representation as they took part in the general electoral system. Some experts were of the view that if affirmative rules were undertaken and seats were accorded to minorities, it would collide w111111111ith the equal participation principle of one person, one vote. Affirmative rules could adversely affect the equality of others, they said. However, such measures might be justified to ensure the representation of minorities in the conduct of public affairs.
Many speakers indicated that certain electoral systems excluded minorities and women from being represented in national and local public congresses. For example, uni-nominal and proportional electoral systems hampered women and other minorities from joining national parliaments. Other electoral systems which assured the participation of women and minorities by retaining percentile quotas in parliament or to the constituencies were found to be favourable. A few experts observed that the principle of one person, one vote was not entirely satisfactory in many countries where women were not equally represented in parliaments.
The Committee also noted that there should be reasonable equality in the numbers of voters in each district by avoiding gerrymandering. Here, some members expressed the view that geographical reasons, such as islands, could affect the principle of maintaining equality. According to the Covenant, elections should be by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.
Members further commented on ensuring to citizens the right and the opportunity to have access to public service office established by law, such as the civil service, the military, police and security service and other positions involving government employment.
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