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21. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. PLAIN LANGUAGE VERSION: You have the right to take part in your country’s political affairs either by belonging to the government yourself or by choosing politicians to represent you. Governments should be voted for regularly and voting should be secret. You should get a vote and all votes should be equal. You also have the same right to join the public service as anyone else. Illustrated version NOTES: Everyone has the right to vote in elections, and also the right to be elected as a public official. We’re all affected by the rules, so we each have a right to have our say about the way things are run, so that together we can all come up with a solution that’s fair for everyone. DEFINITIONS: democracy is a form of government which requires the participation of the people; a political system which is characterized, inter alia, by the independence of the executive body, the legislative body and the judiciary, as well as free elections. MORE: The Montreal Plan of Action The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (1993) |
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