PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 10 February 2013

A voter must indicate a clear reason for requesting a proxy vote.6 While the aim of the law is to enfranchise voters, it challenges the secrecy of the vote as provided for by 4 The electoral system was modified in 2002 by increasing the number of parliamentary seats from 18 to 24 and introducing the component of proportional representation. [...] Citizens deemed mentally incompetent, as well as those in pre-trial detention or with a criminal conviction, irrespective of the gravity of the crime, are denied the right to vote.9 Denial of the right to vote to those in pre-trial detention is contrary to the principle of the presumption of innocence as enshrined in paragraph 5.19 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.10 The blanket denial of voti. [...] The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe requested the Venice Commission to prepare an opinion on the Constitution of Monaco, notably “on the compatibility with democratic standards of the provisions on the National Council, taking into account Monaco’s peculiarities.” This was considered by many OSCE/ODIHR EET interlocutors as an unwelcome interference into. [...] The campaign spots were uploaded on the websites of both Monaco Channel and the government, allowing constant access during the campaign, including for voters living abroad.23 The representatives of UM and HM criticized the strict parameters regulating the recording of campaign spots, especially the limited timeframe. [...] 27 On the basis of Article 22 of the Civil Code and Article 22 of the Constitution, Edition d’Azur was required to withdraw the copies of Le Petit Niçois already distributed and deliver to the court the confidential papers it had published in the article.