Representative democracy is exercised through elections which, according to Article 25(b) of the ICCPR and other international standards must guarantee the free expression of the will of the electors. The candidates which were replaced by the SEC had been admitted to registration and elected in conformity with the law, which provides that “the candidate taking majority of the votes is elected as mayor”, and is an expression of the principle of free suffrage. The purpose of elections is, of course, to let the people choose their representatives. The decisions by the majority of the SEC not to recognise the six successful mayoral candidates and to declare the second placed candidates (all belonging to another political party) deprived the people of their right to choose and were in clear contradiction with the expressed will of the people.