Under the ECHR, as interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights (hereafter the ECtHR), the Council of Europe member states have an obligation to secure the rights and freedoms for everyone within their jurisdiction. The right to free elections enshrined in Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the ECHR is not only an objective and essential principle in any democratic society, but also a fundamental individual right on which every citizen can rely, one that most effectively promotes “true democracy”.