A/HRC/30/26 vote include Austria, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Egypt adopted a legal quota, which provides for one quarter of the seats on the local council to be allocated to youth under 35. 65. In order to overcome obstacles to the effective protection of the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons to participate in political and public affairs, it is crucial for States to combat violence, repeal discriminatory laws and ensure that antidiscrimination legislation includes sexual orientation and gender identity among prohibited grounds and also protects intersex persons from discrimination.78 Fiji recently added a clause in its Constitution prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Anti-discrimination laws have also been strengthened in several States, including Australia, Chile, Cuba, Georgia, Malta, Moldova and Montenegro. Furthermore, Brazil, Canada, France, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Uruguay are combatting violence and stigmatization through anti-hate crime laws, national action plans and public education campaigns aimed at countering homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination.79 V. Conclusions and recommendations 66. Despite its key importance as a human right in itself and as an enabler of the enjoyment of other human rights, the right to participate in political and public affairs continues to face obstacles to its full realization. Unreasonable and discriminatory restrictions, be they on the grounds of race, colour, sex, disability, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, illegitimately limit the exercise of this right. 67. Insufficient political will to allow full public participation and legal or practical measures to discourage participation and restrict the democratic space constitute the main challenges to the implementation of the right to participate in political and public affairs. Existing structural inequalities, such as poverty, and a decline in traditional forms of political participation are additional challenges to political and public participation. 68. Discrimination, including intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination, and group-specific challenges prevent the full participation of women and marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples, members of minorities, persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Such discrimination ranges from gender stereotyping to non-recognition of indigenous peoples, from lack of representation of members of minorities in governing institutions to physical barriers that render polling stations inaccessible to persons with disabilities. 69. To be fully enjoyed, the right to participate in political and public affairs requires the exercise of a number of other internationally protected rights, such as the freedoms of opinion and expression (including access to information), freedoms of association and of peaceful assembly. Those rights must be guaranteed to all, including non-citizens, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. 70. States have taken a number of measures to address the above-mentioned challenges and to increase participation in political and public affairs. With regard to the right to vote and to be elected, several States have adopted alternative ways of voting, such as electronic voting, mobile polling stations, postal voting and advance voting to increase participation at elections. A growing number of States have 78 79 A/HRC/29/23, paras. 19, 78 and 79. See also A/HRC/29/23, paras. 71–75. 17