The relevant international and regional treaties, standards and OSCE commitments4 applicable to the deprivation of the right to vote and to be elected are included in Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (for parliamentary elections), Article 25.b of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (complemented by Article 2(1) on the prohibition of discrimination); Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters and the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.5 This has been detailed in the previous Joint Opinion6 and will not be repeated here. Before analysing the legislation under consideration, the Venice Commission and ODIHR will only remind that the limitations to those rights have to be prescribed by law; to respond to a legitimate aim; to respect the principle of proportionality; and that procedural safeguards and an effective remedy have to be ensured.7 As consistently stated by the European Court of Human Rights, “the Contracting States enjoy a wide margin of appreciation in imposing conditions on the right to vote and to stand for elections”,8 however, this margin of appreciation is not all-embracing.