Rules, Limits and Procedures for IPA Elections

 

Introduction

1) All IPA procedures on its elections will be in accordance with Rule 9: Elections to and Holding Office. In the case of any doubt, the IPA Rules have precedence.

2)
This document does not seek to repeat all the requirements of the IPA’s Rules, but expands on that information by establishing the ‘rules, limits and procedures’ which may be adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 9, Sec B(1).


Election Timetable and Actions

3) These items are covered in Appendix 1.


Procedures for Nomination and Mandate for the Nominating Committees
4) These items are covered in Appendix 2.

5)
No member of a Nominating Committee may stand for elected office in the respective election or suggest candidates or sign petitions for the nomination of candidates. Presidents of Constituent Organisations may serve on the Nominating Committees, providing they do not wish to stand for elected office.


6)
Members of the Board may not suggest candidates or sign petitions for the nomination of candidates.

7)
No Member may consent to be nominated for more than one office in a given election [Rule 9, Sec B(1)f].

8)
The Nominating Committees are asked to nominate at least the minimum number of names and not more than the maximum number of names outlined in Appendix 2 for the various elected offices.

 

Rules and Limits on the Allocation of Representatives

9) IPA Rule 9, Sec B(3)d states: d. Electing Representatives. Each Member may vote for up to seven (7) candidates for Representative from that Member’s Geographical Area. To achieve diversity of representation, the Board may adopt (and shall record in the Procedural Code) rules and limits on the number of Representatives electable from Constituent Organizations and/or countries in any or all Geographical Areas. Subject to any such Board adopted rules and limits, those candidates who receive the most votes will be elected.

10)
The rules and limits on the number of Representatives electable from Constituent Organisations and countries in all Geographical Areas will be as follows.

11)
In the European and Latin American regions: a. no more than one Representative may be elected from one IPA Constituent Organisation; b. no more than 2 Representatives may be elected from one country. In the European and Latin American regions, subject to these limits, those candidates who receive the most votes will be elected.

12)
In the North America region and for the United States of America only:


a.
No more than 5 Representatives may be elected from the Regional Association (APsaA); with no more than one Representative from each Affiliate Society of ApsaA. A Candidate who belongs to more than one APsaA affiliate Society will be considered as being ‘from’ all the societies that they are a member of for the period of the elections (from the beginning of March of the year prior to the election to the end of May of the Election year), and

b. No more than 2 Representatives may be elected from the Independent Societies; with no more than one Representative from each Independent Society, but

c. No more than 6 Representatives may be elected from the United States of America in total.

In the North American region, for the United States of America only, subject to these limits, those candidates who receive the most votes will be elected.

 

13) In the North America region, apart from the United States of America:

a. No more than one Representative may be elected from one IPA Constituent Organisation and

b. No more than 2 Representatives may be elected from one country.

In the North American region, apart from the United States of America, subject to these limits, those candidates who receive the most votes will be elected.

 

14) For the sake of clarity, Candidates who belong to more than one IPA Constituent Organisation will be considered, for the purposes of these elections procedures, as belonging only to the Constituent Organisation through which they paid their IPA dues in the year before the elections.

 

Ballot papers

15) Candidate statements may be distributed to the membership via the IPA website and/or listserve, and electronically to Constituent Organisations for distribution to their members, and need not accompany the ballot papers sent to Members. The candidate statements will usually be provided in the 4 working languages of the IPA.

16) Ballot processes (distribution, receipt, counting, verifying and reporting results to the IPA office) shall be conducted by Electoral Reform Services, the UK not for profit organisation, unless the Board determines otherwise. A paperless ballot sent electronically will be the default distribution method. Paper ballots will be made available upon request.

 

‘In Good Standing’

17) Only Members appointed to the IPA on or before 31 January in an elections year, and who are in good standing, will be sent ballot papers.

18) No nominee will be allowed to stand for election unless he/she is from a Constituent Organisation that is ‘in good standing’ in relation to IPA dues.

19) No Member may vote in an IPA election unless he/she is ‘in good standing’ in relation to IPA dues. The expression ‘in good standing’ shall mean those Members, by or for whom dues are payable,

a. whose dues have been paid for the calendar year/s prior to the election year by 31st January in an election year, or

b. are Members in good standing of a Constituent Organisation which received and complied with special payment arrangements with the Treasurer, whereby some or all of their dues for the prior year/s are not yet payable by 31st January in an election year.


Revision of this Procedural Code Entry

20) Where circumstances change, such as a substantial number of new Component Societies joining the IPA, or new countries being represented in the IPA, or where this Procedural Code entry is found seriously inadequate, a Board member may request that this document be considered for revision. Any revision of this document must be carried out not less than 12 months before any election for any changes to be implemented for that election.

 


APPENDICES

 

1) Election Timetable and Actions

2) Procedures for Nomination and the Mandate of the Nominating Committees

3) Criteria for Nomination to Elected Office

4) Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Campaigns and the Mandate of the Elections Committee

5) Procedures for the Notification of Results of a Ballot

 


 

APPENDIX 1: Election Timetable and Actions

This timetable puts into effect IPA Rule 9, Section B.

Note: deadlines in bold are stipulated in the IPA’s Rules. All other dates are not stipulated in the Rules.

 

Year Prior to the Election:

 

March 1st 
The Vice President will instruct the Presidents of Constituent Organisations in each IPA geographical region after consulting the members of their Societies to select 5 IPA members to serve on the Regional Nominating Committee to represent their region [Rule 9, Sec B(1)a(i)] and to send their names to the Vice President via the IPA office by 1 May. 

 

May 1st 
The IPA office will inform Component Societies, the Regional Association and its Affiliate Societies and Direct Members of the IPA elections in the following year, and request them to make suggestions for all elected positions to the IPA office by 31 July for consideration by the appropriate Nominating Committees (when appointed) and also to inform their members that they may make such suggestions provided they are supported by 10 IPA Members [Rule 9, Sec B(1)].  The ‘Role of Board Members and Link Responsibilities’ Procedural Code document will be circulated with this communication.

Deadline for 5 names for each Regional Nominating Committees to be communicated to the Vice President via the IPA office.  The IPA office will confirm the appointment of all 15 members of the three Regional Nominating Committees once the consent of each is received, and send a copy of the Rules, Limits and Procedures for IPA Elections to all such Committee members.

The IPA office will request each Regional Nominating Committee to a) appoint a chair from amongst themselves and b) to appoint 2 from its number to serve on the Central Nominating Committee [Rule 9, Sec B(1)b] by 1 June. 

Deadline for the incumbent President or incumbent Treasurer to inform the IPA office if he/she intends to stand for a second term.

 

June 1st  
Deadline for the Regional Nominating Committees to appoint their chairs, and the 2 names from each Regional Nominating Committee to serve on the Central Nominating Committee to be communicated to the Vice President via the IPA office.

The IPA office will inform the Central Nominating Committee of its membership and request them to appoint a chair from amongst themselves [Rule 9, Sec B(1)b] by 1 July.  The Chair of the Central Nominating Committee must rotate as follows: 2008 Europe, 2010 Latin America, 2012 North America, and so on.

The IPA office will inform the IPA Constituent Organisations of the membership of the relevant Nominating Committees, remind them of the suggestions deadline of 31 July and send them the Campaign Guidelines.

 

July 1st 
Deadline for the Central Nominating Committee to appoint its chair.

 

July 31st 
Deadline for suggestions for nomination to be in the hands of all 4 Nominating Committees.  As these are received, the IPA office will send the self declaration letter (see Appendix 3) to all suggested candidates for return, where possible, prior to consideration by the Nominating Committees.

The IPA office to circulate information about campaign guidelines in relation to Constituent organisations.  Each Society should respond that they understand that Constituent Organisations may not endorse or support or appear to endorse or support any specific candidate or candidates above others.

 

September 15th 
Deadline for all 4 Nominating Committees to complete the slates (see Appendix 2).

 

After Sept 15th 
The names of any members of Provisional Societies or Study Groups, who are not members of Component Societies or the Regional Association, who are nominated for Representative will be put to the Board for consideration under the ‘express waiver’ condition [Rule 9, Sec B(1)h].

 

September 30th 
Deadline for the slate to be communicated to Members:  The IPA office will send the complete slate (both global and regional nominations) by email to all Constituent Organisations asking them to distribute the information to their membership.  The IPA office will send the slate to all Members with email addresses and to all Direct Members [Rule 9, Sec B(1)d].  Details on how to nominate by petition [Rule 9, Sec B(1)e] and a summary of the Guidelines for the Conduct of IPA Elections will be included in this correspondence. 

All slated candidates will be asked to submit up to 500 word statements (except for candidates for President who shall be allowed up to 1000 words) by 30 November in one of the IPA’s four official languages, which will cover both a résumé and position statement.  It is left to each candidate how many words are allocated to a résumé and how many to a position statement.

 

November 30th 
Deadline for nominations by petition
: all nominations by petition should be received by the Vice President via the IPA office. 

Deadline for statements from slated candidates to be received by the IPA office.  In fairness to all candidates neither the word count nor the deadline will be extended.

 

December 1st 
Deadline for all candidates who have not already done so to return the self declaration letter (see Appendix 3). 

 

December 31st 
Deadline for statements from any Nominees by Petition to be received by the IPA office.  In fairness to all candidates neither the word count nor the deadline will be extended.

 

Election Year:
January 1st

The IPA office will write to all Constituent Organisations reminding them about the elections and encouraging them to hold pre election meetings with their members – they will be reminded that the Campaign guidelines apply to such meetings. 

The Treasurer will inform any nominees of Constituent Organisations which have not paid their dues in whole or in part for the year/s prior to the Congress year in which an election is to take place of this fact, stating that their names will not appear on the ballot paper, unless the overdue payment is received by the 31 January.
The Treasurer will inform any Constituent Organisations which have not paid their dues in whole or in part for the year/s prior to the Congress year in which an election is to take place of this fact, stating that those Members who have not paid will not be sent ballot papers, unless the overdue payment is received by 31st January.

 

March 15th 
Deadline for despatch of the ballot: all IPA Members in good standing will be sent a ballot paper [Rule 9, Sec B(1)g].  The IPA office will inform all Component Societies and members with email that the ballot has been despatched giving a date by which to inform the IPA if the papers are not received.

 

April 30th  
Deadline for receipt of ballots: ballots should be received by the Electoral Reform Ballot Services by this date.  All ballots received by this date and time will be counted [Rule 9, Sec B(3)b].  Ballots may be returned by any reliable means determined by the Board: by mail, fax or by on-line electronic procedures.

 

May  
The IPA office will circulate the results of the elections to all those detailed in the IPA’s Procedures for the Notification of Results of a Ballot in accordance with Rule 9, Sec B(3) and in Appendix 5 of these procedures.

 

End July  
The President will confirm the results at the Business Meeting [Rule 9, Sec B(3)].

 

After July  
The results of the election will be announced in the first appropriate issue of the IPA News Magazine [Rule 9, Sec B(3)].

 


APPENDIX 2: Procedures for Nomination and the Mandate of the Nominating Committees Initial Actions by the IPA office:

 

1) Suggestions for any elected office should be sent to the IPA office: [email protected]. The names will be checked to see that:

a. they are Members,

b. they are suggested by Component Societies, by the Regional Association or any of its Affiliate Societies, or from at least 10 Members,

c. that they are not members of the Nominating Committees,

d. they meet IPA ‘in good standing’ criteria with respect to IPA dues,

e. comply with the terms of elected office [Rule 9, Sec A(1)] and,

f. they are not being nominated for more than one office. If acceptable according to these 6 rules, they will be forwarded to the members of the relevant Nominating Committee up till 31 July.

g. Proposals for President or President-Elect must also include a proposal for the Vice President or Vice President-Elect.

 

2) The IPA office will acknowledge all suggestions and include a copy of the Campaign Guidelines. It will send the self declaration letter (see Appendix 3) to all suggested candidates for return, where possible, prior to consideration by the Nominating Committees. The IPA office will also request the information to assist the relevant Nominating Committee in assessing candidates (as detailed in Appendix 3).

 

3) Where suggested candidates for Representative are Members of Provisional Societies or Study Groups they will be forwarded to the relevant Nominating Committee with a note pointing out that should the Nominating Committee recommend them, their names can only be included on the slate if the Board agrees [Rule 9, Sec B(1)h].

 

4) If a suggested candidate is proposed for more than one office, the IPA office will contact that person to ascertain which position he/she wishes to stand for if slated. That person will only appear on the list for that position if slated.

 

5) The IPA office will inform suggested candidates and the relevant nominating Committee if any person is not eligible according to the above rules and refer the matter to the Vice President.

 

6) Incumbent Representatives entitled to run for a second term must be suggested to the relevant Nominating Committee in the same way as any other candidate.

 

7) The incumbent President or Treasurer entitled to run for a second term need not be suggested to the relevant Nominating Committee but should inform the IPA office of their intention by 1 May.

 

Role of the Nominating Committees:

 

8) The Nominating Committees have two roles which are important to the proper conduct of the IPA’s elections. One role needs to be exercised prior to 31 July; the other after 31 July but before 15 September.

 

9) Prior to 31 July the Nominating Committees must actively encourage Constituent Organisations and Members to provide sufficient suggestions for names to meet the following requirements:

 

10) The Central Nominating Committee is asked to ensure:

a. There are at least 2President-Elect and Vice-President teams . There is no upper limit and the Committee is asked to exercise its discretion.

b. There are at least 2 names for Treasurer (except where the incumbent is running for a second term). There is no upper limit and the Committee is asked to exercise its discretion.

 

11) Each Regional Nominating Committee is asked:

To aim to have at least 11 names for the 7 Representatives but not more than 14 and to ensure that these names are from a cross section of Societies and countries so as to achieve diversity of representation.

 

12) After 31 July, when the period for suggestions has ended, all 4 Nominating Committees have the authority to request Constituent Organisations and Members to make further suggestions so as to meet the minimum numbers of names listed above, and may continue to do this up to the time they finalise the slate to meet the 15 September deadline.

 

13) The Roles of all Nominating Committees at the Slate Compilation Meetings:

a. Each Nominating Committee may wish to have conference calls to discuss the compilation of the slate. Such calls can be arranged by the IPA office by [email protected].

b. Each name on the lists provided by the IPA office must be voted upon (by email or by telephone conference) by the relevant Nominating Committee and selected by a simple majority of that Nominating Committee, provided the quorum for the vote for the Regional Nominating Committees is not less than 4 and for the Central Nominating Committee is not less than 5.

c. Minutes of the slate compilation meetings must be prepared by a member of each Committee designated by the Chair with due regard for protecting confidential personal information of the proposed candidates. These minutes will be made available to the membership on request.

d. All Nominating Committees must judge the suggested candidates on the basis of the criteria outlined in Appendix 3. The Nominating Committees are authorised in the Rule 9, Sec B(1) a(ii) and b. ‘to nominate those Members it judges best qualified’ for the various offices, provided they follow the criteria for nomination in Appendix 3 which derive from Rule 9, Sec B(1)c. Each Nominating Committee is expected to exercise its judgement in the interpretation of these criteria. The choices of the Nominating Committees cannot be challenged unless a Committee is charged with violating the procedures. Any such challenges will be referred to the Committee on Elections for resolution.

e. The Regional Nominating Committees shall take into account the Societies and countries of origin of all potential nominees in order to ensure representation from a cross-section of Societies and countries so as to achieve diversity of representation [Rule 9, Sec B(1)a(ii)].

f. The Nominating Committees are asked to nominate at least the minimum number of names and not more than the maximum number of names outlined in paragraphs 10 and 11 above for the various elected offices.

 

14) The slates from the three Regional Nominating Committees and the Central Nominating Committee must be completed and sent to the IPA office, [email protected], by 15 September.  The IPA office will refer any nominees for Representative from Provisional Societies or Study Groups to the Vice President for consideration by the Board for ‘express waiver’ by email if necessary [Rule 9, Sec B(1)h].

 

15) The Nominees:

a. Once a nominee is notified by the IPA office that they are being suggested for office, they will be sent and asked to return the self declaration letter and information for the relevant Nominating Committee (see Appendix 3).

b. Once slated by the Nominating Committee, nominees will be informed by the IPA office. Slated nominees will then be invited to submit a statement of up to 500 words for the Treasurer and Representative positions and 1500 for the Presidential team positions. A statement will only be requested from the incumbent President or Treasurer if his/her re-election is opposed by another candidate.

 

President, President-Elect (with Vice President-Elect) and Treasurer:

16) If more than two candidates are slated for the positions of President, President-Elect or Treasurer, the Single Transferable Vote or Preferential Voting procedure will be employed [Rule 9, Sec B(3)c(ii)]. This procedure will be explained on the relevant ballot paper.

 

Nominations by Petition:

17) These nominations are handled by the IPA office and not by the Nominating Committees. Rule 9, Sec B(1)e states: ‘A candidate for President, President-Elect (with Vice President-Elect) or Treasurer may be nominated by a written petition of at least 150 Members (50 from each Geographical Area). A candidate for Representative may be nominated by a written petition of at least 100 Members from the respective Geographic Area (with not more than 50 from any Constituent Organisation or, in the case of the Regional Association, of any of its Affiliate Societies). Nominations by petition must be accompanied by the written consent of the nominee and actually received by the Vice President (or designee) by the end of November of the year preceding a Congress’.

 

18) Once the IPA office, as the Vice President’s designee, are satisfied that the above criteria have been met, the nominee’s name will be included on the ballot paper as a Nomination by Petition, and indicated as such, along with those that have been slated by the Nominating Committees. The Nominating Committees and the Executive Committee will be kept informed of the status of nominations by petition.

 

19) The IPA office will send the self declaration letter (see Appendix 3) to all nominees by petition for return by 1 December.

 


 

APPENDIX 3 Criteria for Nomination to Elected Office
Statements by the Candidates

1) Candidates are asked to present resumes or CVs listing experience under the following headings, and must sign the self declaration letter below. A demonstrably and materially false statement supplied by any candidate shall be grounds for the Nominating Committee rejecting that candidate, or for the Executive Committee to strike the candidate from the ballot if discovered after the slate has been submitted, or nominations have been made by petition.

 

Authority

2) The Nominating Committees shall nominate candidates which it judges best qualified to meet the following criteria, which derive from those listed in the Rule 9, Sec B(1)c. They are required to ensure a diversity of representation, and are asked to nominate at least the minimum number of names and not more than the maximum number of names outlined in Appendix 2 for the various elected offices.

 

3) Nominating Committees may, but are not required to, use a points system to aid selection, but are not required to give reasons for their final decisions. They are however expected to give different weighting to the criteria below according to the elected office being considered.

 

Criteria for assessment by the Nominating Committees

4) Professional respect and experience: in the following or other similar roles, taking account of:

a. teaching roles within IPA Psychoanalytic Institutes;

b. teaching roles apart from IPA Psychoanalytic Institutes, including academic appointments;

c. editorial roles within professional journals;

d. publishing record as listed in a resume or CV;

e. participation in congresses and conferences.

 

5) Leadership abilities and governance experience: in elected or appointed offices on the executive of Constituent Organisations, committees or working groups of Constituent Organisations, regional bodies, or within related professional organisations or academic institutions.

 

6) Experience working in and with the IPA: within its Board, Committees or any working groups or any assignments set by the IPA. Additionally, Nominating Committees will take note of competence in languages in addition to English.

 

7) Exclusions: In accordance with the Rule 9, Sec B(1)c, no member of any IPA Nominating Committee may stand for office in the related election, and, in accordance with the Rule 9, Sec B(1)f, no member may consent to be nominated for more than one office in a given election.

 

Criteria subject to self declaration and signature by candidates

8) All candidates will be sent and must sign the following declaration in order to be considered by the related Nominating Committee.


 

1.  I confirm that I wish to run for IPA elected office.  I have read and agree to abide by all relevant provisions in the Rules, Limits and Procedures for IPA Elections document in the IPA Procedural Code, including Appendix 4 on the Conduct of Elections Campaigns.  I will use my best endeavours to ensure that any colleagues working to ensure my election also abide by these provisions.  I will particularly observe the deadline and word count for the submission of my individual statement, and I understand that any change may not be made to this statement after the deadline.

2. I confirm that I am eligible for election to office in my own Society.

3. I am aware that, if elected, I will become a Director of the UK company and registered charity, the ‘International Psychoanalytical Association’.  I agree to abide by the laws and regulations which apply to these roles. 

4. I agree, if elected President, Vice President, Treasurer or Representative to accept assignments as the Executive Committee and the Board deem appropriate, and I make a commitment to work for the IPA.  If elected I will use my best efforts to attend the IPA Business Meetings and the meetings of the Board which involve at least two days each, up to twice per year and require travel to international destinations, with significant preparation in advance.  I will also take part in consultations on issues between Board meetings, and undertake link responsibilities with IPA Constituent Organisations.

5.  I am aware, if elected as President, Vice President or Treasurer or appointed by the Board to serve as a Representative on the Executive Committee, that this will additionally involve travel to at least two further international destinations for Executive Committee meetings, as well as about eight Executive Committee conference calls per year with significant preparation in advance, and regular consultations on issues between Executive Committee meetings.

6.  I know of no circumstances that would warrant my removal from office under the IPA’s criteria for the removal and replacement of officers.  If such a circumstance arises in future, I agree to notify the IPA’s President in writing immediately.  These criteria are listed in the Rules 9, Sec C(2) as follows: ‘… the Officer or Representative cannot or should not continue to serve because of mental, physical or professional incapacity, malfeasance, illegal or unethical conduct, or chronic neglect of official responsibilities.’  I understand that any demonstrably and materially false statement uttered or authorised by me during the nomination or election process would violate these criteria and I agree not to make or authorise any such false statement.

7.  I confirm that I have access to email (both text and attachments), am an adequate user and will monitor incoming IPA-related mail on a regular basis.

8.  I know that English is the ‘official’ language of the IPA and confirm that my knowledge of English is such as to enable me to:
(a) read and understand IPA Board and other papers, including the IPA’s Rules and Procedural Code,
(b) take part in Board debates and form judgements for voting, and
(c) respond in English to communications from members of the Board and the staff.

Name: …………………………………………………………………….……
Signature: ……………………………………………………………………
Candidate for the office of: ……………………………………...
Date: ……………………………………………………………………………

Please sign and return this document to the IPA Office by FAX on (44) 20 8445 4729 or email at [email protected].


APPENDIX 4: Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Campaigns and the Mandate of the Elections Committee

 

1) It is understood that the Elections Committee will recommend revisions to these guidelines as more experience is accumulated. All Guidelines and changes as approved by the Board will be communicated to the IPA membership.

 

2) In general, the candidates for election are expected to conduct themselves in a manner commensurate with the dignity of the office they aspire to hold. This is meant to help those who are participating in the campaign or who are Members making observations to form a judgement whether to communicate their concerns to the Committee Chair.

 

Self Declaration Letters

3) The IPA office will ask each candidate for election to sign a letter in which they agree to abide by the Guidelines as established by the Board and as they are described here. The letters shall include a reference to having received and read these Guidelines and the Committee’s Mandate. To the extent that they are able, the candidates will acquaint their supporters with the Guidelines as well.

 

Conduct

4) These guidelines are established to preserve a positive tone in the conduct of the entire election process. The Guidelines apply at any time before an IPA election, during it, and after it is concluded, For instance, it would be inappropriate for negative comment to be allowed about any candidate well before, or after an election is concluded. Thus there is no time limit regarding the application of these guidelines.

 

Negative statements

5) Initiating, promulgating, or promoting negative statements or allegations about a candidate is prohibited and to be considered a matter worthy of report or complaint to the IPA Elections Committee. Campaigning for or against a candidate beyond the content of psychoanalytic ideas, policies, or characteristics of management styles, such as comments on personality characteristics or personal habits, should be considered as transgression of campaigning rules. If an IPA Member learns about such an allegation from another, it should be reported to the Committee. The negative statement or allegation should not be conveyed to the candidate as this will be viewed as equivalent to spreading the information. The Chair and members of the Elections Committee will make all efforts to stop such allegations from spreading and to identify the source of the negative campaigning. This procedure applies to all negative statements and allegations, whether they are in written form, oral communications, or by electronic messages such as email.

 

Funding of Campaigns

6) No funds are to be solicited from any source for the purposes of election campaigning. No campaigning should take place while on IPA business. However, in the interests of fairness and discouragement of excessive campaigning, no candidate should exceed US$20,000 (twenty thousand US Dollars) or its equivalent in personal expenditure. This figure is a guideline that candidates are expected to honor rather than a rigidly enforced rule.

 

Campaign literature

7) Is defined as any material which actively supports any particular candidate or candidates. It may only be positive in tone.

 

Constituent Organizations and Other Psychoanalytic Organisations

8) ‘Other Psychoanalytic Organisations’ includes, but is not limited to, INSTITUTES, IPA Study Groups, Allied Centres, the regional or sub-regional bodies. The need for these Guidelines relating to Constituent and other Psychoanalytic Organisations arises from the fact that over half the IPA’s membership are in a very few Constituent Organisations. These guidelines are therefore intended, amongst other things, to limit the capacity of the very large Constituent Organisations seriously to influence the outome of elections to the detriment of the IPA’s many other Constituent Organisations. Constituent Organisations and other Psychoanalytic Organisations:

a. may not distribute campaign literature (defined above) on behalf of any candidates, specifically at the request of any candidates, by any means including electronic listserves or the like, nor may they provide email or other lists of their members, including access to list-serves, in order for candidates or their supporters to distribute campaign literature.

b. may not endorse or support or appear to endorse or support any specific candidate or candidates above others.

c. may however choose to invite candidates to submit written statements or statements on specific topics or responses in writing to specific questions (all or any of which may constitute campaign literature) and distribute them to their members by any menas as long as all candidates for the same position are invited to do so and that all the statements received are distributed to all their members.

d. may invite candidates to speak to their membership, as long as all candidates for the same position are invited on the same basis and, if they accept, are given equal time. Summaries of such presentations may be distributed to Constituent Organisations’ members as long as it is done equally and fairly for all candidates and to all their members.

e. may encourage their members to vote, and may provide lists of candidates standing within the region, provided all such candidates are so listed.

f. may also provide their members with information on how to obtain candidate statements from the IPA website or distribute these statements to their members themselves, provided they do so for all candidates in the region and to all their members.

 

Journals and Other Publications

9) Psychoanalytic journals and other publications, such as society newsletters, may invite and publish statements, presentations or interviews with candidates (all or any of which may constitute campaign literature), provided that equal space is given to all candidates for that position. If any candidates decline to provide such material, the publications must inform their readers of those candidates who were invited to submit material but declined to do so.

 

Candidates and Members

10) Candidates and Members may campaign privately, provided they only do so positively in tone. In supporting themselves or candidates, they may lobby at psychoanalytic meetings provided they obtain the prior permission of the meeting organisers. Commercial mailers may be used for campaign literature but candidates should be mindful of the total limit on funds used for campaigning (see paragraph 6).

 

11) All Board members should abstain from publicly supporting any of the candidates:

a. Board members should refrain from sending emails or other communications on behalf of, or in support of, candidates for election. This includes individual emails or communications to friends and colleagues.

b. Board members should not send emails or other communications encouraging members to vote for a certain colleague above others. This includes individual emails or communications to friends and colleagues.

c. Board members should refrain from publicly supporting a candidate or candidates in open forums. However, Board members may speak privately, with friends and colleagues who seek their personal opinion.

d. Board members should ensure that their name is not included on campaign literature supporting a candidate or candidates.

e. Board members may of course campaign for themselves if they are standing for re-election.

 

Requests for Information and Reports

12) Any IPA Member may seek information from or send a report to the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee will provide such information as it can, and note reports, taking such action as it judges appropriate.

 

Complaints

13) Any IPA Member may make a complaint to the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee will act upon all complaints. The reporter of a complaint may not remain anonymous to the Chair or to the Committee. However, that individual may request anonymity when the Chair conveys the complaint to the Executive Committee or the Board or other pertinent groups or individuals. The Chair is obliged to inform all members of the Committee if a request for anonymity is made. However, the Chair will make the final decision on whether or not the anonymity should be maintained when communicating to Members outside the Committee. The reporter of the complaint will be informed of the decision on anonymity. When the Elections Committee becomes aware of potential ‘Negative Campaigning’ they have two options: a) to respond to the author with a clarification of the IPA’s Ethical Code, with a warning that continuing in this way may result in a referral to the ethics committee (this communication will be copied to the affected audience); b) to respond to the author with a clarification of the Ethical Code informing them that the issue has been referred to the IPA’s Ethics Committee (this communication will be copied to the affected audience). The Elections Committee should consider if any further action needs to be taken during the election to balance out the playing field.

 

Sanctions and Other Interventions During Election Campaigns

14) When reports or complaints are made to the Chair or the Elections Committee, the following procedures shall be followed in the order listed below, to the extent required in the Committee’s judgement.

15) A careful review of the situation, including where appropriate phone or personal interviews with the candidates and others involved will be conducted. After completion of the review, all members of the Committee will be informed.

16) If appropriate, a letter summarising the review will be sent to the individual or individuals involved in the infraction, detailing the events and the particular infractions involved. Depending on the Committee’s findings and the responses of the individual or individuals, the Committee may or may not proceed to the step described in paragraph 19 below.

17) Both of the steps in paragraphs 15 and 16 above may be taken by the Committee without additional consultation.

18) The Committee may choose to consult the Ethics Committee, if the issue falls within the terms of the IPA’s Ethical Procedures, prior to proceeding to the step described in paragraph 19 below. If the Ethics Committee upholds the complaint, then the Committee should proceed to the step described in paragraph 19 below.

19) It is recognised that in many instances the facts surrounding an incident may be difficult or impossible to ascertain. However, after careful review of the situation, the Committee may decide on one of the following:

a. to drop the incident,

b. to mediate between the parties and take appropriate action where the parties involved and the Committee are generally satisfied with the solution reached,

c. to accept a written statement of a candidate that he/she did not authorise a certain action of a supporter.

d. To take such action to resolve the issue in the most equitable manner as it judges appropriate subject only to taking legal advice, should this be necessary.

e. Refer an issue to the Ethics Committee.

In situations in which conflicting information or insufficient data make a determination difficult, consultation with the Executive Committee or the Board may be sought.

20) Subject to legal advice and with the approval of the Board, who may be polled individually for this purpose by email, a candidate’s eligibility for office may be removed or Members or groups of Members may be barred from voting in the election.

 

Reports to the Board

21) When the elections are concluded, all significant reports and all complaints to the Elections Committee should be reported to the Board with recommendations as to changes to the IPA Elections Procedures or other actions considered appropriate.

 

Elections Committee Mandate

22) The Committee on Elections is a Committee of the Board formed with the following functions:

23) It will administer the Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Campaigns, as these Guidelines are established by the Board and as they may be changed from time to time.

 

Methods

24) The administration of these Guidelines requires that the Committee monitor the conduct of the candidates for election for every office that is voted upon by the Membership of the IPA. The Committee’s way of working shall be as follows:

25) The Committee members themselves will be in frequent communication through the Chair, by telephone, fax, email, and any other suitable medium of communication, during and throughout each election campaign until after the deadline for receipt of ballots. If possible, the Committee shall meet in person on any occasion that presents the opportunity, such as a Congress or other meetings.

26) Any Member, candidate for elected office, or IPA Board member may report concerns about or observations of alleged infractions of the current Guidelines for the Conduct of Election Campaigns to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair is obliged then immediately to inform all members of the Committee and to solicit their opinions about the matter, including what response seems appropriate on the part of the Committee. The Chair shall next inform all Committee members of all the opinions received in response and offer a proposed course of action. The Committee members will then vote on the proposal by the Chair or suggest alternatives, which, if agreed to by the Committee members, will then be voted on. The majority opinion prevailing, the Chair will initiate the agreed action. The Chair shall keep adequate written or electronic records of all such transactions and provide a summary after each event and/or meeting, and these records and summaries shall be a part of the IPA archives.

27) Such reports to the Chair of concerns or of alleged infractions should contain specific information regarding the candidate involved, the actions or behavior of concern, the date, time, and duration and whether other persons are involved in the alleged infraction.

 

Composition of the Committee

28) The Committee shall consist of nine members, three from each region. In this way, three committee members in each Region should be able to monitor the activity in their region.

29) The terms of the Committee members shall be staggered. Three members shall be appointed by the President every two years, one member from each Region. Each member shall serve a six-year term and no member may serve more than one six year term (except where he/she is a replacement for another member – see paragraph 30 below).

30) Members who cannot serve the complete term shall be replaced by presidential appointment. A member who has been appointed to replace a member unable to complete his/her term, may be appointed to continue for a full six-year term provided he/she has not served longer than 2 years as a replacement member. A replacement member who has not served longer than 2 years as a replacement member may also be subsequently appointed for a full six-year term at a later stage.

31) The Chair of the Committee will be appointed by the President from existing members of the Committee (at the time the Chair takes up office) from three names submitted by the Committee. The Chair is appointed for a two year term as part of his/her full six year Committee term.

 

Reporting to the Board

32) The Committee shall report when necessary to the Board regarding its functioning and experience and with any suggestions concerning modification of its Guidelines and its Mandate.

 


APPENDIX 5: Procedures for the Notification of Results of a Ballot

 

1) The IPA’s Rules require that mail ballots are despatched by 15 March of a Congress year. Ballots should be received by the Electoral Reform Ballot Services, the independent organisation which handles IPA elections, by 30 April of the same year. It normally takes up to one week after the ballot deadline for the ERBS to count the votes and inform the IPA office of the results.

2) The IPA office will first inform the President and the Vice President of the results, by telephone if possible, followed by the candidates themselves, by email or fax. The President also contacts the candidates, by telephone.

3) Once the individual candidates have been given the results, the IPA office sends a list, indicating the total number of votes accorded to each candidate, to the Board, the Editor of the News Magazine for publication in the forthcoming issue, the Nominating Committees and the Committee on Elections.

4) The results are then sent to the Presidents of the Constituent Organisations, requesting that the information is passed onto Members. The information will also be sent to all members of the IPA who have an email address.

5) The President makes a formal announcement of the results at the Business Meeting during the Congress.

6) The IPA’s election results are reported by region (unless the Single Transferable Vote or Preferential Voting procedure is employed – see paragraph 7 below), not by country or by Constituent Organisation. The breakdown by region is made available in the report which is submitted by the Electoral Reform Ballot Services to the Board.

7) Where the Single Transferable Vote or Preferential Voting procedure is employed for the election of the President or the Treasurer, the election results are reported for each stage in the process on a global basis (as candidates are eliminated). The results are not reported by region.

 


 

Change Log

Approved by the Board March 2004

The addition of the final paragraph, concerning Dual Membership, under ‘Rules and Limits on the Allocation of Representatives’ was approved by Board in November 2004.

The Removal of the distinction between Global and Regional Representatives throughout this document in line with amendments to C&B approved by the Membership May 2005.

The following were approved by the Board in July 2005: Changes to paragraphs 4 to 6, and 8 to 10 of appendix 4. The addition in the IPA elections timetable concerning the distribution of the IPA elections guidelines (Sept. 30th). The addition of the new paragraph 17 of the Rules, Limits and Procedures for IPA Elections concerning the eligibility date for new members to vote.

Changes to paragraph 7 of appendix 4 concerning the conduct of Constituent Organisations were approved by the Board in January 2006.

Addition of on-line electronic procedures as a ‘reliable means’ of distributing the ballot under May 31st entry in Appendix 1 approved by the Board in July 2006.

Additions: a) Main papers paragraph 12 Rules and Limits in the USA, b) Main paper paragraph 19 date for compliance with ‘in Good standing’. c) Appendix 2 of paragraph 2 of the self declaration letter, d) Appendix 4 timescale for the application of Guidelines, e) Appendix 4 advisory limit on expenditure, f) Appendix 4 explanation and restrictions on Constituent Organisations, g) Appendix 4 lobbying by Candidates and Members, h) Appendix 4 distinction between reports and complaints, I) Appendix 4 actions by the Elections Committee – approved by the Board July 2007.

Circulation of Role of Board Members and Link Responsibilites doc and Broomhills to encourage Societies to have meetings prior to the elections - approved by the Board July 2008

Replacement of Secretary General with Vice-President in line with change to the Rules May 2010 – Current Secretary General position remains until July 2013

Deletion of facility to ask candidates questions via the IPA’s website – Board July 2010

Approved by the Board January 2014: i) addition to Paragraph 12a (re: candidates belonging to multiple APsaA affiliates); ii) addition to self-declaration signed by candidates (re: eligibility to stand for election in own Society); iii) addition to Appendix 4, Paragraph 5 (re: negative campaigning); iv) addition to Appendix 4, Paragraph 8 (“Institutes” added to the list of specified organizations); v) new phrasing and addition of a sentence to Appendix 4, Paragraph 10 (re: tone of campaigning and use of commercial mailers); vi) addition of new sub-paragraphs to Appendix 4, Paragraph 11 (re: permissible activities by Board members during campaigning); vii) additions to Appendix 4, Paragraph 13 and 19 (re: involvement of the Ethics Committee to deal with negative campaigning); viii) decision to have the IPA provide its own listserve for election campaigning purposes; and ix) decision to make electronic ballots the default method.

Approved by the Board January 2016: change to the wording of paragraph 11 from Appendix 2.

Approved by the Board January 2017: removal of the term "Broomhills"

Revised January 2018: modifications to the ballot distribution date and balloting deadline for IPA elections, in line with the changes ratified by membership ballot in May 2017 and the Board’s subsequent adoption of revised Articles of Association in January 2018.

*This change record is for background information only and does not form part of the Procedural Code. If there is any conflict between a statement in the Procedural Code and a statement in this change record, the change record will be disregarded.