AHG/Decl. 1 (XXXVIII)
Page 5
4.
Every citizen shall have the freedom to establish or to be a
member of a political party or Organization in accordance
with the law.
5.
Individuals or political parties shall have the right to freedom
of movement, to campaign and to express political opinions
with full access to the media and information within the
limits of the laws of the land.
6.
Individual or political parties shall have the right to appeal
and to obtain timely hearing against all proven electoral
malpractices to the competent judicial authorities in
accordance with the electoral laws of the country.
7.
Candidates or political parties shall have the right to be
represented at polling and counting stations by duly
designated agents or representatives.
8.
No individual or political party shall engage in any act that
may lead to violence or deprive others of their constitutional
rights and freedoms. Hence all stakeholders should refrain
from, among others, using abusive language and/or
incitement to hate or defamatory allegations and provocative
language. These acts should be sanctioned by designated
electoral authorities.
9.
All stakeholders in electoral contests shall publicly renounce
the practice of granting favours, to the voting public for the
purpose of influencing the outcome of elections.
10. In covering the electoral process, the media should maintain
impartiality and refrain from broadcasting and publishing
abusive language, incitement to hate, and other forms of
provocative language that may lead to violence.
11. Every candidate and political party shall respect the
impartiality of the public media by undertaking to refrain
from any act which might constrain or limit their electoral
adversaries from using the facilities and resources of the
public media to air their campaign messages.
12. Every individual and political party participating in elections
shall recognize the authority of the Electoral Commission or
any statutory body empowered to oversee the electoral
process and accordingly render full cooperation to such a
Commission/Body in order to facilitate their duties.