This time last year, The Ecomomist published “ The World Ahead 2024 ‘, in which the first of the 10 key themes that will shape 2024 is ’ Vote-a-rama! ‘, which can be translated as ’Vote-search ‘ or ’Vote-marathon” . The main reason for this was and is that in 2024, more than 70 elections will take place in countries hosting around 4.2 billion people. For the first time, more than half of the global population went to the polls in 2024. Many elections were neither free nor fair, as The Economist predicted. This can be easily verified by international election observation reports.
So, in a year of “super elections”, how did freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association - one of the key criteria for whether elections were free and fair - fare? This question is the main topic of the thematic report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly to the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2025. Gina Romero, recently elected UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Association and the Right to Peaceful Assembly, is issuing a call for contributions to Civil Society Organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and Public Institutions, asking them to submit information on the year of the "super election ” and its global impact on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and on ensuring effective and inclusive popular participation and protection of rights. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025 and will be used for the Special Rapporteur's thematic report to the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2025. Although 2024 is referred to as the“super election” year, the Special Rapporteur will present his report covering the period 2023-2025. Thus, Turkey is in the Special Rapporteur's field of interest both with the 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections and the 2024 local elections. You can download the background paper on the subject from the attachment.
How will the contributions be used?
- Contributions received may be referenced in the report and published on the mission's webpage, unless confidentiality is explicitly requested.
- Email address: [email protected]
- Email subject line: Input for HRC-59th FoAA Report on Elections
- Accepted file formats: Word, PDF
- Accepted Languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian
- https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2025/call-inputs-reflections-super-election-year-and-its-global-impact-protection