The Commission recalls that it is a fundamental democratic principle that elections must enable the free expression of the people in the choice of its legislature. An election which departs from recognised borders and covers annexed territory may distort the will of the people by including additional votes. In some situations, however, such an election may nevertheless faithfully reflect the opinion of the voters. This is independent from the fact that the organisation of elections is an official act which can be challenged as a breach of the sovereignty of the state, whose territory was annexed unlawfully. Irregularities and violations, as serious as they may be, only call for the annulment of an election if they have an impact on the final outcome of the elections.