directly or through freely chosen representatives (...) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.”; - Article 26 of the 1966 International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the United Nations: “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”; - Articles 2 and 13 (1) and (2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: “Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status. (…) Article 13(1) and (2) Every citizen shall have the right to participate freely in the government of his country, either directly of through freely chosen representatives in accordance with the provisions of the law. 2. Every citizen shall have the right of equal access to the public service of hiscountry.”; - Articles 3(7), 3(11), 4(2), 8(1), 10(3) of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which provide respectively that the States Parties undertake to promote “... Effective participation of citizens in democratic and development processes and in governance of public affairs (…) Strengthening political pluralism and recognising the role, rights and responsibilities of legally constituted political parties, including opposition political parties, which should be given a status under national law (…) State Parties shall recognize popular participation through universal suffrage as the inalienable right of the people (…) State Parties shall eliminate all forms of discrimination, especially those based on political opinion, gender, ethnic, religious and racial grounds as well as any other form of intolerance (…) State Parties shall protect the right to equality before the law and equal protection by the law as a fundamental precondition for a just and democratic society.”; - Article 1 (i) of the 2001ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance “...Political parties shall (…) participate freely and without hindrance or discrimination in any electoral process. The freedom of the opposition shall be guaranted.” 5