According to the case-law of the ECtHR, a threshold may be justified with a view to Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 ECHR if it pursues a legitimate aim and meets the proportionality test. As the effects of an electoral threshold can differ from one country to another and the various systems can pursue different, sometimes even opposing, political aims by introducing a threshold, the Court has not defined strict maximum numbers for a reasonable threshold but examines the respective thresholds on a case-by-case basis. In this regard, the ECtHR leaves a wide margin of appreciation to the member states.