Person:

Neuman, Gerald

The article discusses a court case on the Greek parliamentary election of 2004 wherein the Supreme Court of Greece decided on the contested election by ruling for a recalculation based on different rules. The ruling was challenged by under the free elections provision of the European human rights system, with the European Court of Human Rights rendering judgment in April 2008 that Greece has violated this provision. It differentiates the remedy in this with that of the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2000 in the 2000 elections.

The discourse of international law is a remarkable achievement, but it poses the danger that international lawyers will be absorbed in their own conversation and fail to persuade outsiders. International human rights bodies may be especially vulnerable to that risk, despite their need for cooperation from local actors.