Overview of State Obligations relevant to Democratic governance and Democratic elections, DRI - Carter Center, 2012

This Policy Paper titled: "Overview of State Obligations relevant to Democratic governance and Democratic elections" was published by the DRI in cooperation with the Carter Center in Appril 2012. 

The paper gives an overview of the extent to which States are obliged to organize themselves as a democracy and to hold genuine elections. For easy access, the paper consists of a table matrix. The table summarizes the relevant State obligations and their content and meaning. The table also provides an overview of the gaps and ambiguities in international law and provides recommendations on how to address these shortcomings. Using traffic light symbols, the table offers a summary evaluation on whether international law largely, partially, or inadequately covers a given issue.

This paper is a based on the study "Strengthening International Law to Support Democratic Governance and Genuine Elections". This comprehensive study discusses State obligations under international law relevant to democratic governance and genuine elections in detail and can be downloaded at the websites of Democracy Reporting Internationaland The Carter Center.