APDH v Côte d’Ivoire (2016) 1 AfCLR 668 681 it to the Constitutional Council for determination of its conformity with the Constitution. 101. The Court further observes that the Constitutional Council of the State of Côte d’Ivoire has already ruled on the constitutionality of the impugned law in its Decision on the Application filed by Mr Kramo Kouassi acting on behalf of a group of 29 parliamentarians of the National Assembly (supra, paragraph 18). The Constitutional Council held that the impugned provisions were in conformity with the Constitution. 102. In the circumstances, it is clear that the Applicant in the instant case could expect nothing from the Constitutional Council with respect to its prayer for annulment of the impugned law. 103. The Court, in its previous judgments in the Matters of Reverend Christopher R. Mtikila and Lohé Issa Konaté, decided that “there was no need to go through the same judicial process the outcome of which 11 was known”.11 104. In view of the aforesaid, the Court finds that it was not necessary for the Applicant to exercise the remedies mentioned by the Respondent (supra, paragraphs 85 and 86). 105. The Court consequently declares the Application admissible. 106. Having declared that it has jurisdiction to deal with this matter and that the Application is admissible, the Court will now consider the merits of the case. VII. Merits of the case 107. The Applicant alleges that the Respondent State violated its commitment to establish an independent and impartial electoral body as well as its commitment to protect the right to equality before the law and to equal protection by the law, as prescribed in particular by Articles 3 and 13(1 and 2) of the Charter on Human Rights, Articles 10(3) and 17(1) of the African Charter on Democracy, Article 3 of the ECOWAS Democracy Protocol, Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 26 of the Covenant. A. The allegation according to which the Respondent State violated its obligation to establish an independent and impartial electoral body 108. The Applicant submits that the right for the citizens to have national independent and impartial electoral bodies emanates from the commitment made by the said States under Article 17 of the African Charter on Democracy and Article 3 of the ECOWAS Democracy Protocol; that implementation of the said commitment is reflected in the 11 Reverend Christopher R Mtikila (Preliminary Objection of Inadmissibility) Judgment of 14 June 2014, para 82.3 and Lohé Issa Konaté (Application 004/2013, Judgment of 5 December, 2014, para 112.