There is a legitimate need in every country to limit the number of parties running for office. The reasons are mainly practical. Ballot papers would be impossible to handle if there were no restrictions, and voters would face a chaotic situation when selecting the list of their choice. When limiting the possibilities, the only criteria to be used should be the support a party has in the electorate. The mechanisms for this vary, but are common to require a certain number of signatures in support of a party in order to allow the party to run for elections. In other countries financial means are being used to discourage parties without support to run. Signatures have the disadvantage of being a register of political opinions. Therefore, in most countries signatures in support of a party need not be party members. It is sufficient that the signatures are in favour of the registration of a party to run for elections.
