Finally, regarding the timing of electoral reforms, the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters16 recommends that the fundamental elements of electoral law should not be open to amendment less than one year before an election or should be written in the Constitution or at a level higher than ordinary law. In reference to this recommendation, the Code’s Explanatory Note cautions that in adopting amendments, “care must be taken to avoid not only manipulation for the advantage of the party in power, but even the mere semblance of manipulation [...] Evenwhen no manipulation is intended, changes will seem to be dictated by immediate political interests.”