Diffused costs: Costs related to elections which cannot be deducted from the general budgets of organisms that help to implement an electoral process. They are also called“indirect cost”. Reliability(integrity) cost: Necessary costs to ensure the security, integrity, and political neutrality in the electoral process. They are particularly pertinent for elections in post-conflict societies or emerging democracies. Electoral cycle: Complete steps from the preparation, implementation and evaluation of elections or instruments of direct democracy, considered as an electoral event in continuous series. In addition to the steps of an electoral process, it includes also pre-electoral activities such as the review of juridical regulations, the procedure and registration on electoral list the consultation process and the planning of the next elections. Democracy: A political system in which sovereignty is in the hands of the people who can use it directly or through elected representatives. Democratization: The process of reinforcement of democratic character of a political regime(reforms). Nomination of candidates: Process through which political parties, organizations or individuals present their intention to compete in an election; this is most of the time subject to meetings based on qualification criteria set by the law. Donors: Countries or intergovernmental organizations that provide support in the form of money or technical assistance to the electoral process in another country. Duration of mandate: Period of time a member of an organization serves at his/her post after being elected or nominated. 245