Judicial Election 2020

There are eighteen judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), appointed for nine years. Every three years, judicial elections are held to fill six judicial vacancies at the Court. The six judges who obtain the highest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of votes are elected during different rounds of elections.

There are several requirements for the election of the candidates.

The Minimum Voting Requirements (MVR) for the 2020 election are: one candidate from Eastern Europe, two candidates from Latin America and the Caribbean, one candidate from Asia-Pacific, one candidate with criminal law expertise and experience, one candidate with relevant international law expertise and experience, and one female candidate.  Therefore, an equitable geographical representation, a fair gender balance and representation of the principal legal systems of the world. An additional requirement is that candidates should be nationals of State Parties.

Elections 2020

At the nineteenth edition of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP), in 2020, six elected candidates will replace six outgoing judges on March 10th 2021. In 2020,  additional to the six new judges, a new Prosecutor will also be elected.

The outgoing judges for the 2020 Elections are Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji (also ICC President), Judge Robert Fremr (also ICC First Vice President), Judge Howard Morrison, Judge Olga Herrera-Carbuccia, Judge Geoffrey Henderson, and Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan.

The Committee on the Election of the Prosecutor has designated Ambassador Sabine Nölke as Chair and Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis as Vice-Chair. The members of the committee are Ambassador Marcin Czepelak, Mr. Lamin Faati, and Ambassador Mario Oyarzábal. Additionally, a panel of experts has been built to assist the Committee in carrying out its mandate.

The members of the panel are Mr. Francisco Cox Vial, Ms. Aurélia Devos, Prof. Charles Jalloh, Mr. Motoo Noguchi, Ms. Anna Richterova. The outgoing judges for the 2020 Elections are Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji (also ICC President), Judge Robert Fremr (also ICC First Vice President), Judge Howard Morrison, Judge Olga Herrera-Carbuccia, Judge Geoffrey Henderson, and Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan.

Election Campaign

In an effort to identify the best candidates and provide transparent and accurate information regarding their respective qualifications and professional background, the Coalition seeks input from national, regional, and international NGOs throughout its global network.

Since the first elections in 2003, the Coalition has helped publicize and raise awareness on the elections and candidates. The Coalition asks all nominees to fill out questionnaires that provide additional information about the candidate’s qualifications. The Coalition seeks to interview all candidates, hold public seminars with available candidates and experts, and host public debates between the candidates. These actions will help enable nominees to expand on their respective qualifications and expertise, as well as to promote fully-informed decision-making by State Parties delegates.