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Doc. 8640
28 January 2000
Elections in the United Kingdom
Written Declaration No. 300
This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it |
1. The quality of the democratic process in the United Kingdom has long been a model for many other European nations. It is with regret that claims are heard that there has been a recent decline in these high standards in Wales and London, especially in the primary elections and selection of candidates.
2. Areas that cause concern are the lack of independent or candidates' scrutiny of the receipt, opening, and counting of individual postal votes, the absence of secrecy in some ballots; the possible manipulation of the media; the undemocratic use of black votes, the varying rules in Wales and London that appear to be manipulated in favour of certain candidates; and the changes made to the system of the free post in London.
3. As the London electorate is the third largest single mandate-constituency in Europe, observers from the Council of Europe could report beneficially on the present democratic trends in the UK.
4. The Assembly committees concerned, and in particular the Monitoring Committee should therefore follow developments closely and report at an early opportunity on all aspects of the election in May 2000 for the Mayor of London.
Signed (see overleaf)
Signed : 1
Hegyi, Hungary, SOC
Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD
Busic, Croatia, EPP/CD
Calleja, Spain, SOC
Chiliman, Romania, LDR
Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL
Cilevics, Latvia, SOC
Connor, Ireland, EPP/CD
Duivesteijn, Netherlands, SOC
Einarsson, Sweden, UEL
Fehr, Switzerland, LDR
Goulet, France, EDG
Gross, Switzerland, SOC
Herczog, Hungary, SOC
Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR
Jakic, Slovenia, LDR
Kittis, Cyprus, LDR
Lauricella, Italy, SOC
Lotz, Hungary, LDR
Simon, Hungary, EPP/CD
Soendergaard, Denmark, UEL
Tabajdi, Hungary, SOC
Wilkinson, United Kingdom, EDG
Zapfl-Helbling, Switzerland, EPP/CD
Zwerver, Netherlands, NR
_____________________
Total = 25
1 SOC: Socialist Group
EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
EDG:European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
UEL : Group of the Unified European Left
NR : Not registered in a group