This publication contains the reports presented at the seminar entitled "Supervising Processes", organised in Madrid on 24 and 25 April 2009 by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) in co-operation with the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies (CEPC). This was the first UniDem (Universities for Democracy) seminar which compared the legal situation in Europe with that of the United States and Latin America.The aim of the seminar was to study the ways of making electoral legislation effective. It addressed electoral disputes from a procedural as well as from a substantive point of view. It also demonstrated the different approaches taken in Europe, where disputes are generally dealt with by constitutional or ordinary courts, and Latin America, where specialised courts have been established. The seminar dealt with the role of international judicial instances, such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in guaranteeing the quality of the electoral process, as well as with the control of electoral campaign financing.
Introduction
I. The specificity of the electoral process
II. The various approaches to electoral control
III. The common principles of electoral law
IV. Some objectives
Electoral disputes - Procedural aspects
Electoral disputes - Substantive aspects
I. Introduction
II. The principles of Europe's electoral heritage
III. Conditions for implementing the principles
IV. Conclusion
Party funding and campaign finance law in the United States
I. Introduction
II. Foundations of campaign finance regulation: FECA and Buckley
III. Post-Buckley regulatory problems and the congressional response: BCRA
IV. Conclusion
Electoral disputes in practice - The Mexican experience
I. Preliminary statements on the definition of conflict and electoral justice
II. Types of electoral disputes: a Mexican perspective
III. Final considerations: towards an integral understanding of electoral disputes
Comparative analysis of the bodies in charge of electoral supervision, especially judicial ones - The situation in Greece
I. General description of the Special Supreme Court
II. The court as an electoral court
A comparative analysis of the bodies in charge of electoral supervision, especially judicial ones - The Czech case
I. Judicial control of elections in the Czech Republic: preliminary notes
II. The Supreme Administrative Court, the Constitutional Court and justice in electoral matters
III. Types of judicial control of elections
IV. Election control in the courts in practice
A comparative analysis of the bodies in charge of electoral | supervision, especially judicial ones - The case of France
