A/HRC/29/49 Government and also that of all other key players on the political scene, such as political parties, civil society (both modern and traditional) and the international community, to protect and build on those efforts through constructive, technical cooperation. 97. The Independent Electoral Commission is a constitutional institution (Constitution, article 32, para. 4). Its aim is to ensure that elections are transparent and lawful. It represents an institutional achievement intended to put an end to the time when elections were organized and monitored by the Ministry of the Interior alone. A sustained dialogue has been initiated with the opposition parties in order to ensure the balanced representation of all political parties within the Commission. The outcome was satisfactory, with the inclusion of an opposition party. 98. The Independent Electoral Commission is faced with many challenges in ensuring that the forthcoming presidential elections run smoothly. It is primarily a question of updating the electoral register, mapping electoral districts and reforming the Electoral Code. However, the greatest challenges relate to training opportunities for politicians and ways in which they will educate voters. Security is also a major challenge and must be assured so that all citizens can adequately exercise their right to vote in satisfactory conditions. In principle, all Ivorian citizens aged 18 or over have the right to vote. In order to meet this standard, it is necessary to find a solution to the fact that many citizens do not have identity cards. Moreover, it is crucial to address the situation of Ivorians living abroad so that they can exercise their right to vote. For instance, it is estimated that there are between 60,000 and 80,000 Ivorians in Liberia. 99. There is no doubt that the Independent Electoral Commission is an important step towards achieving peaceful and transparent elections. Nonetheless, the lack of civil society representatives in local commissions is disappointing. There is a tendency to justify this by the difficulties encountered in finding a balance of representatives from all parts of the country, but many civil society actors are not convinced. Moreover, the refusal of one opposition party to participate in the Independent Electoral Commission is likely to weaken the Commission’s power and undermine its authority. Political dialogue should continue in order to overcome this setback as efficiently as possible. 100. Voter apathy should be combated by raising more awareness of the fact that voting is extremely important for the future of the country. The Commission should also ensure that all political parties have equal access to the audiovisual media (all of which are Stateowned) and to the official print media. It is also important to continue enhancing security in the country because that is the foundation on which any lasting political, economic and social progress can be built. All of these aspects require consistent support from the international community. V. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 101. It is noteworthy that, during its universal periodic review, Côte d’Ivoire accepted almost all the recommendations made by the Member States of the United Nations Human Rights Council. On 18 and 19 March 2015, Côte d’Ivoire also submitted its initial report, 20 years overdue, to the Human Rights Committee. This attitude shows that Côte d’Ivoire is committed to constructive collaboration. This report seeks to modestly strengthen this process and to provide guidance to the Ivorian Government in its efforts to honour its international human rights obligations for the benefit of the Ivorian people. 18 GE.15-08296