Home > 1. The principles of Europe's electoral heritage > THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA- Opinion on the issue of the re-appointment of the members of the State Election Commission
 
 
 
Download file    
 
 
Paragraph 7
 

The stability of fundamental elements in electoral law is, as underlined in the Explanatory Report of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, regarded as one of the factors in the credibility of the electoral process,[3] and care must be taken to avoid not only manipulation to the advantage of the party in power, but even the mere semblance of manipulation. Even when no manipulation is intended, changes will seem to be dictated by immediate party political interests. The principles stated in the Code of Good Practice were further clarified in the Interpretative Declaration on the stability of the Electoral Law adopted by the Venice Commission in December 2005 (CDL-AD(2005)043), where the stability of composition of electoral bodies was emphasised.[4] The principle of stability of electoral law was affirmed by the European Court of Human Rights on 18th November 2008 in the case T?nase and Chirtoac? v. Moldova (paragraph 114 with reference to the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters).[