Home > 1.1 Universal suffrage > MONTENEGRO- Opinion on the Compatibility of the Existing Legislation Concerning the Organisation of Referendums with Applicable International Standards
 
 
 
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Paragraph 12
 

The internationally recognised fundamental principles of electoral law, as expressed for example in Article 3 of the First Protocol to the ECHR and Art. 25 ICCPR,  have to be respected, including universal, equal, free and secret suffrage. For a referendum to give full effect to these principles, it must be conducted in accordance with legislation and the administrative rules that ensure the following principles:

 

    -        the authorities must provide objective information;

    -      the public media have to be neutral, in particular in news coverage;

-        the authorities must not influence the outcome of the vote by excessive, one-sided campaigning;

-        the use of public funds by the authorities for campaigning purposes must be restricted.[4]