The Election Procedure for Judges

When the election of the first 18 judges of the ICC took place in February 2003, an election procedure unprecedented in international elections was used for the first time. The procedure, approved at the first session of the ICC Assembly of States Parties in September 2002, employed a system of minimum voting requirements in order to ensure fair representation on the bench.

The adoption of the election procedure meant that when the elections were held in New York in February 2003, all the requirements set out in the Rome Statute (Article 36) for the composition of the bench were taken into account and that States Parties cast their ballots taking into account the need for representation of the different legal systems of the world, the qualifications of the candidates, gender equity and geographical representation. The fact that the election produced a highly qualified and broadly representative bench demonstrates the success of the election procedure.

Complete Election Results

Human Rights First strongly supported the adoption of such an election procedure, which it views as vitally important for the legitimacy, independence and moral authority of the Court. The procedure was adopted for the purposes of the first election only, and may be amended for subsequent elections.