8.
Those international instruments have permitted the inclusion of reasonable restrictions in the
legislation regulating the electoral process, which are intended to regulate or determine the right to
stand for election and the right to vote without compromising its essence. Among such regulating
restrictions of this right is setting a minimum legal age to exercise the right to vote.
9.
In order to achieve the actual exercise of the right to stand for election and the right to vote, the
State must take effective measures to ensure that this right can be exercised. The electoral rolls
should include a record of names and data of those entitled to vote, as voter registration is an
integral part of the electoral process. If such lists do not include accurate and updated names and
information, a number of citizens may be deprived of exercising their right in this regard.
10. To ensure the full enjoyment of the right to stand for election and the right to vote, these international
instruments have affirmed the need to facilitate the exchange of information and opinions relevant
to the electoral process freely for all, through free press and other media capable of commenting
and informing the public on the course of this process in a transparent manner. Such right requires
States to take all necessary measures to ensure the enjoyment of other relevant human rights,
such as the right to peaceful assembly and holding peaceful public meetings and the right to form
associations, being the fundamental foundation for the effective exercise of the right to vote and the
right to stand for elections.
11. In addition, the State should establish an independent electoral commission to oversee the electoral
process and ensure its integrity and proper conduct in accordance with the provisions of the law.
This commission shall, in particular, ensure secrecy of the ballot during the electoral process and
protect voters from all forms of incitement or coercion that may lead them to reveal their electoral
orientations. The commission shall also ensure the security of the ballot boxes and that the votes
shall be counted in the presence of the candidates or their agents. The decisions taken by that
commission in respect of the electoral process shall be subject to judicial oversight, to ensure the
confidence of voters and the public in the outcome of that process.
12. In terms of exercising the right to stand for election and to vote, and to complement the reformist
approach led by His Majesty the King through the endorsement of the National Action Charter in
2001 and the restoration of parliamentary life, parliamentary and municipal elections were held
for the first time in 2002. Subsequent elections were held every four years, in 2006, 2010, run-off
elections in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and most recently in 2018. The parliamentary and municipal
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