Respect for the Principles of National Sovereignty and Non-Interference in the Internal Affairs of States in Their Electoral Process

A/RES/49/180View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1995.

What subjects does this mandate have?

19 subjects

Aggression Civil and Political Rights Constitutions Declarations Decolonization Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Election Verification Elections Financing Force in International Relations Friendly Relations Among States Institution Building Laws and Regulations Palestine Question Political Parties Popular Participation Principles Self-Determination of Peoples Sovereignty

What’s in this document?

10 operative paragraphs

Reiterates that, by virtue of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, all peoples have the right, freely and without external interference, to determine their political status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development, and that every State has the duty to respect that right in accordance with the provisions of the Charter;

Reaffirms that it is the concern solely of peoples to determine methods and to establish institutions regarding the electoral process, as well as to determine the ways for its implementation according to their constitution and national legislation, and that, consequently, States should establish the necessary mechanisms and means to guarantee full and effective popular participation in those processes;

Reaffirms also that any activities that attempt, directly or indirectly, to interfere in the free development of national electoral processes, in particular in the developing countries, or that are intended to sway the results of such processes, violate the spirit and letter of the principles established in the Charter and in the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations;

Reaffirms further that there is no universal need for the United Nations to provide electoral assistance to Member States, except in special circumstances such as cases of decolonization, in the context of regional or international peace processes or at the request of specific sovereign States, by virtue of resolutions adopted by the Security Council or the General Assembly in each case, in strict conformity with the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States;

Urges all States to respect the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States and the sovereign right of peoples to determine their political, economic and social systems;

Strongly appeals to all States to refrain from financing or providing, directly or indirectly, any other form of overt or covert support for political parties or groups and from taking actions to undermine the electoral processes in any country;

Condemns any act of armed aggression or threat or use of force against peoples, their elected Governments or their legitimate leaders;

Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of all peoples under colonial and foreign domination, particularly of the Palestinian people, for the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination and national independence, which will enable them to determine their political, economic and social systems, without interference;

Calls upon the Commission on Human Rights to continue to give priority to the review of the fundamental factors that negatively affect the observance of the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States in their electoral processes and to report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session, through the Economic and Social Council;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session on the implementation of the present resolution, under the item entitled "Human rights questions".

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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