The purpose of this paper is to review the voting procedures followed by the Conference with respect to the election of the Independent Chairperson of the Council (ICC), in situations where there is only one candidate for the office, and with respect to the election of Council Members. This review is following the 38th Session of the Conference, held from 15 to 22 June 2013, and the 147th Session of the Council, held immediately thereafter, on 24 June 2013.

At the 2013 Session of the Conference, some Members held the view that notwithstanding the political considerations put forward between 1955 and 1957, in 1983 and 1984 and again in 1998 and 1999, and the nature of the office of ICC, the ICC could be elected by general consent, instead of by secret ballot, in situations where there was only one candidate for the position. The matter is therefore one for political decision by the membership. Should the CCLM, and subsequently the Council, and ultimately the Conference be of the view that there is no need to hold a secret ballot for the election of the ICC in the presence of only one candidate for the office, the draft Conference Resolution set out in Appendix 1 to this document could be considered.