Electoral Regulations

ELECTORAL REGULATIONS WHEREAS • a free and independent press is indispensable for the full operation of democracy • this freedom and independence are even more vital during election periods, when the people must depend on the greatest amount of information and opinion to exercise its voting rights • press controls, no matter what the arguments are to justify them, lirnit the ability of tbe news media to exercise tbeir duties freely and for the people to express and inform themselves • in various countries in the continent there are electoral codes and regulations, or bilis to implement them, which affect tbe exercise of freedom of expression and information by establishing press controls and even prior censorship that affect tbe operations of the news media THE 49TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES • to reject the promulgation of any laws or statutes whatsoever which limit the news media, organizations or the people the right to express their opinions and preferences with absolute freedom during election periods • to urge the legislatures of countries where such laws or statutes exist to revoke the articles that threaten freedom of expression and information, as well as free access to information sources.