The objective of laws providing measures tackling the misuse of administrative resources is in principle to secure a free and equal vote. However, the risk of too drastic provisions is that they may conflict with other principles or be unworkable or counter-productive in practice, or may deter some people from seeking public office altogether. Electoral laws and elections-related texts should therefore seek to strike a balance. Such balance can be reached by providing enough safeguards to persons holding political offices against the risk of being prosecuted after losing elections. Such laws should also ensure continuity and efficiency of on-going policies even during electoral periods while providing opposition parties – including those outside the parliament – with sufficient resources to carry out their electoral campaigns.