Electing the best ICC & ASP leaders
We campaign for ICC States Parties to nominate and elect only the highest qualified candidates to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its governing body, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) through fair, transparent, and merit-based nomination and election processes.
The Coalition for the ICC through its Elections Team closely monitors the processes to elect leaders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its governing body, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), and has consistently called for the election of only the highest qualified candidates through fair, transparent and merit- based nomination and election processes. We believe that having in place the most qualified and experienced leadership of the Court and the Assembly is key to strengthening the institution’s credibility, transparency and impartiality.
The Coalition as a whole does not endorse or oppose individual candidates, but rather advocates for the integrity of the nomination and election procedures.
The Coalition strongly opposes reciprocal political agreements (“vote-trading”) in ICC and ASP elections, and calls all States Parties to avoid political considerations in the choice of candidates.
ICC Elections
1. JUDGES
ICC judges are elected for a non-renewable term of nine years by the Assebly of States Parties.
2. PROSECUTOR
ICC prosecutors and deputy prosecutors are elected for a non-renewable term of nine years by the Assebly of States Parties.
3. REGISTRAR
The ICC registrar is elected for a five-year term by the plenary of ICC judges and is eligible for re-election once.
ASP and other Elections
The Assembly of States Parties (ASP) is responsible for electing ASP officials and members of the Assembly’s subsidiary bodies as well as members of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims.
1. The Bureau of the assembly of states parties
The members of the ASP Bureau are elected for three-year terms by the Assembly of States Parties.
2. Committee on Budget and Finance
The members of the Committee on Budget and Finance are elected for three-year renewable terms by the Assembly of States Parties.
3. Advisory Committee on the Nomination of Judges
The members of the Advisory Comittee on Nominations of judges are elected for a three-year term by the Assembly of States Parties and are eligible for re-election once.
4. Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims
The members of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims are elected for a three-year term by the Assembly of States Parties and are eligible for re-election once.
Vetting for all ICC and ASP elections
In addition to the qualifications and experience necessary for each role, the Rome Statute of the ICC requires that elected officials “shall be chosen from among persons of high moral character.” Since 2020, the Coalition Team on Elections has advocated for a permanent vetting process to be introduced in all ICC and ASP elections to ensure candidates possess a high moral character.
