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The National Spiritual Assembly is.. elected once a year by a National Convention which serves both as a electoral body and as a representative assembly to bring forward ideas and suggestions for consultation with the National Assembly. The area of.. the National Spiritual Assembly is divided into regions.. each of which elects a number of delegates.. in proportion to the number of Baha'is in its area.. Any adult Baha'i in good standing.. is eligible for election.. (96:1) The Universal House of Justice is elected-- every five years at the present time-- by an International Convention which meets in Haifa.. Its delegates are the members of all the National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world. Any man in the whole world community may be elected.. (96:2) The Baha'i election has several.. significant features. First, there are no nominations and no political campaigns. In conventional democracy such procedures are considered necessary because otherwise the electors would have no idea for whom to vote. However, the price of such practices is high, as is clear to anyone interested in politics. It can be an opportunity for manipulation by the rich and powerful vested interests. In many countries as, for example, in the United States, few but the rich can be elected to the most important offices because only the rich can afford the cost of campaigns. In nearly all countries the emphasis tends to be on the image rather than on reality. A man's record, which in any case is so often hard to define, counts for less than his public appearance and soft words. As a result the electors never really know for whom they are voting. Worst of all, the campaign system creates a leadership cult, with all the consequences that such cults imply. Clearly, such practices make the formation of a just government all but impossible.
(96:3)
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