In a negative development, a new provision grants special candidacy rights to the chairpersons of political parties. To protect the candidacies of political party chairpersons, the Code allows the chairpersons of political parties – and chairpersons only – the right to run on the political party’s list in each of the twelve electoral zones for the National Assembly.[10] This special treatment for the chairpersons of political parties violates the fundamental principle of equality[11] and of non-discrimination.[12]
