1.23 Principles of Free Elections

The election is considered to be ‘general’ because all citizens have the right to vote - regardless of gender, income, religion, profession or political beliefs. They usually must, however, be aged 18 or over on election day.

The election is ‘secret’ - a voter’s choices in an election or a referendum are both secret and anonymous.

The election is ‘direct’ because the voters elect without an intermediate body.

The election is ‘free’ because citizens may not be influenced or put under pressure regarding their decision on whom to support.

The election is ‘equal’ because each voter is allowed to cast the same numbers of votes.

In fact, it is not usually true that every vote carries the same weight. We will discuss this important issue later.