implementation of policy….”(UNHRC General Comment 25, paragraph 5.) Non-partisan election observation and monitoring by citizen organizations exercises the right of association that is central to the functioning of nongovernmental organizations, as well as the right to seek, receive and impart information that is vital to transparency and is included in the freedom of expression protected by articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ICCPR. Establishing an election process that is open to citizen examination is essential because citizens not only have the right to genuine elections, they have the right to know whether the election process provided an opportunity for free expression of the will of the electors and accurately recorded and honored the electors’ will. Non-partisan citizen election observers and monitors can be considered as specialized human rights defenders focused on civil and political rights, which are central to achieving genuine elections. Genuine elections require respect for the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including association, peaceful assembly, expression, media freedom, movement, security of person, equal protection of the law for prospective voters and those seeking to be elected, as well as providing effective remedies when electoral related rights are violated. These electoral related rights and freedoms, and related rule of law issues, are affected by a range of institutions and processes over a lengthy period of time that makes up an election cycle and are woven into the fabric of each country’s political process and historical context. At the same time, elections allow citizens to aggregate their interests to demand that those seeking office address issues related to economic, social and cultural well being, as well as peace and security. Genuine elections therefore are not only a condition to establishing democratic governance; they are inseparable from broader democratic development. With the exercise of rights come responsibilities, and non-partisan domestic election observers and monitors have an ethical obligation to conduct their activities in a responsible manner. Various international publications and the charters of individual domestic nonpartisan election observation and monitoring organizations and their cross-border networks emphasize that non-partisanship requires impartiality, accuracy and professionalism. Non-partisan election observation and monitoring by citizen organizations requires the highest ethical standards for impartiality and accuracy based on credible methodologies that incorporate best practices that are suitable to national conditions. Non-partisan election observation and monitoring seeks to enhance electoral integrity by deterring and exposing irregularities and fraud, deterring and mitigating potentials for election-related violence and offering recommendations for improving electoral and political processes. It seeks to promote public confidence as the election process warrants and to promote citizen participation in government and public affairs through electoral processes that are free of proscribed discrimination and unreasonable restrictions. 2