HARMONIZATION OF ELECTORAL NORMS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONSTITUTIONALISM AND DEMOCRATIC STRENGTHENING: A RESPONSE TO THE EVOLVING GLOBAL ELECTORAL LANDSCAPE
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Abstract
This article explores the challenges and prospects of harmonizing electoral norms across jurisdictions through the lens of constitutionalism and democratic resilience. Amidst rising global democratic backsliding, legal fragmentation, and transnational electoral threats—including disinformation, cross-border financing, and algorithmic manipulation—electoral systems are increasingly vulnerable. While international instruments such as the ICCPR and soft law frameworks provide normative guidance, their implementation remains inconsistent. This study adopts a normative-juridical and comparative constitutional methodology, drawing insights from Indonesia, Germany, South Africa, Kenya, India, and the European Union. The analysis is structured around three key questions: (1) how constitutional principles can underpin electoral harmonization, (2) the tensions between harmonization and state sovereignty, and (3) mechanisms for reconciling legal pluralism with global democratic standards. The article proposes a seven-pillar model of electoral norm convergence: constitutional entrenchment, institutional interoperability, codified soft law, judicial dialogue, overriding mandatory democratic principles, technological harmonization, and democratic pedagogy. It argues that harmonization must be pursued not through procedural uniformity but through constitutional alignment, respecting pluralistic expressions of democratic governance. The findings contribute both to democratic theory and to the development of normative frameworks for resilient, legitimate, and globally coherent electoral systems.
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