12 YUMAK AND SADAK v. TURKEY JUDGMENT deficiencies noted in the above-mentioned Resolution. With regard to electoral thresholds, it recommended that the Committee of Ministers urge member States to: “17.10 consider decreasing thresholds over 3% for parliamentary elections and ... consider the balance between fair representation and effectiveness in Parliament and government.” 2. Documents of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) 54. The Code of good practice in electoral matters, adopted by the Venice Commission in 2002, emphatically states: “The five principles underlying Europe’s electoral heritage are universal, equal, free, secret and direct suffrage.” “Within the respect of” those principles, “any electoral system may be chosen”. 55. The relevant part of the Venice Commission’s Report on electoral law and electoral administration in Europe, of 12 June 2006, reads as follows: “[T]he effects of one particular electoral system can be different from country to country, [and] we must appreciate that electoral systems can pursue different, sometimes even antagonistic, political aims. One electoral system might concentrate more on a fair representation of the parties in Parliament, while another one might aim to avoid a fragmentation of the party system and encourage the formation of a governing majority of one party in Parliament. One electoral system encourages a close relationship between voters and ‘their’ constituency representatives, while another makes it easy for the parties to specifically introduce women, minorities or specialists into Parliament by way of closed party lists. In some countries, complicated electoral systems are accepted in order to combine several political aims. In other countries, it is seen as a priority that the electoral system be not too difficult for the electorate and the administration to understand and operate. The appropriateness of an electoral system is determined according to whether it will do justice, bearing in mind the local conditions and problems. In particular, transparency of the elaboration of the list should be ensured. Thus, the electoral system and proposals to reform should be assessed in each individual case.” 56. In its Report on electoral rules and affirmative action for national minorities’ participation in decision-making process in European countries, of 15 March 2005, the Venice Commission, having analysed the practices of certain member States, recommended five specific measures to promote the representation of minorities. Two of the measures concerned have a bearing on the question of electoral thresholds: “... d. Electoral thresholds should not affect the chances of national minorities to be represented.