8 To this end, State Parties shall: 1. 2. 3. 4. Establish and strengthen independent and impartial national electoral bodies responsible for the management of elections. Establish and strengthen national mechanisms that redress electionrelated disputes in a timely manner. Ensure fair and equitable access by contesting parties and candidates to state controlled media during elections. Ensure that there is a binding code of conduct governing legally recognized political stakeholders, government and other political actors prior, during and after elections. The code shall include a commitment by political stakeholders to accept the results of the election or challenge them in through exclusively legal channels. Article 18 1. State Parties may request the Commission, through the Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit and the Democracy and Electoral Assistance Fund, to provide advisory services or assistance for strengthening and developing their electoral institutions and processes. 2. The Commission may at any time, in consultation with the State Party concerned, send special advisory missions to provide assistance to that State Party for strengthening its electoral institutions and processes. Article 19 1. Each State Party shall inform the Commission of scheduled elections and invite it to send an electoral observer mission. 2. Each State Party shall guarantee conditions of security, free access to information, non-interference, freedom of movement and full cooperation with the electoral observer mission. Article 20 The Chairperson of the Commission shall first send an exploratory mission during the period prior to elections. This mission shall obtain any useful information and documentation, and brief the Chairperson, stating whether the necessary conditions have been established and if the environment is conducive to the holding of transparent, free and fair elections in conformity with the principles of the Union governing democratic elections.