Election-related Legal Opinions and Comments

On 22 February 2007 the Verkhovna Rada (national Parliament) of Ukraine adopted a Law on the State Register of Voters. This draft opinion is based on comments of the Law prepared by Messrs Joseph Middleton (expert for the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE) and Ángel Sánchez Navarro (Substitute Member, Council of Europe’s European Commission For Democracy Through Law, Spain), and are made on an English translation of the text. A previous Draft Law on the State Voter Register of Ukraine had been prepared in 2005 and commented jointly by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission upon a request from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. A Joint Opinion on the Draft Law on the State Register of Voters on Ukraine, (CDL-AD(2006)003), was adopted by the Venice Commission in December 2005. This Law should be considered in view of the objective to complete the establishment of a voter register for 2010.

With a view to support the efforts of the authorities of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” to further improve the legal framework for elections in line with OSCE commitments, Council of Europe standards and other international best practices for the conduct of democratic elections, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission offer for consideration to the Government the following recommendations. This document should be read together with the “Joint Opinion on the Electoral Code of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, provided by the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission and adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 17th meeting (8-9 June 2006) and the Venice Commission at its 67th plenary session (Venice, 9-10 June 2006; CDLAD(2006)026).

The Venice Commission was requested on 3 October 2005 by the Parliament of Georgia to provide an Opinion on the Election Code of Georgia. The most recent joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) on the Election Code is dated 16 June 2006 and addresses amendments through 23 December 2005. Following adoption of additional amendments, the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission agreed on providing a revised joint opinion. The present legal review represents therefore an update to the June 2006 Opinion and covers the latest amendments of 23 June and 24 July 2006.