Access to Justice and Electoral Integrity These financial resources allocated to the administration of elections and to provide means for the protection of human rights linked to political participation, are a positive investment when they are distributed in training staff, in guaranteeing professional stability, in strengthening the independence of decision makers and in implementing best practices. This should be well communicated to all stakeholders and avoid perceptions of wrongdoing and unsustainable costs. As some examples in Latin America show, investment in creating institutions at the highest level possible, which provide permanent protection of political rights, has produced a space in which most political actors decide to contend for the exercise of power and sort out their differences. These bodies, in whatever institutional form is more suitable to the specific political, social and economic context of each democracy, should also be provided with capabilities, resources and powers to provide remedies in a timely manner that allow them to repair or compensate any damage to political rights. The importance of remedies As it has been argued so far, access to justice –and particularly in the case of rights linked to political participation– significantly contributes to building the rule of law. Therefore, it is necessary that States take measures that ensure effective remedies when human rights and freedoms are violated at any point of electoral processes – even before starting electoral campaigns. 26