Download or read book European Electoral Heritage written by European Commission for Democracy through Law and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, which was adopted by the Venice Commission in 2002, is the reference document of the Council of Europe in the electoral field. It defines in detail the standards of European electoral heritage: universal, equal, free, secret and direct suffrage, as well as the frequency of elections, including the framework conditions that are necessary for the organisation of proper elections, such as respect for human rights, particularly in the political field, the organisation of elections by an impartial body and an effective appeals system. This publication contains the reports presented at the seminar organised under the Albanian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the occasion of the 1Oth anniversary of the code. It focuses in particular on the main problems of electoral law and administration, including the composition and functioning of electoral administration, as well as the representation of women and minorities. It also refers to the importance of the code for the other Council of Europe bodies, including the European Court of Human Rights, when ensuring the right to free elections