PART I  Implementation of Commitments 31 Paris 1990 (Supplementary Document to Give Effect to Certain Provisions Contained in the Charter of Paris for a New Europe) G. The Office for Free Elections 1. The function of the Office for Free Elections will be to facilitate contacts and the exchange of information on elections within participating States. The Office will thus foster the implementation of paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 of the Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE (the relevant provisions are contained in Annex 1). 2. To this end, the Office will • compile information, including information provided by the competent authori­ties of the participating States, on the dates, procedures and official results of scheduled national elections within participating States, as well as reports of election observations, and provide these on request to governments, parliaments and interested private organizations; • serve to facilitate contact among governments, parliaments or private organiza­tions wishing to observe elections and competent authorities of the States in which elections are to take place; • organize and serve as the venue for seminars or other meetings related to election procedures and democratic institutions at the request of the participating States. 3. The Office will take into account the work of and co-operate with other institutions active in this field. 4. The Office will carry out other tasks assigned to it by the Council. Annex 1 (Copenhagen 1990) (6) The participating States declare that the will of the people, freely and fairly expressed through periodic and genuine elections, is the basis of the authority and legitimacy of all government. The participating States will accordingly respect the right of their citizens to take part in the governing of their country, either directly or through representatives freely chosen by them through fair electoral processes. They recognize their responsibility to defend and protect, in accordance with their laws, their international human rights obligations and their international commitments, the democratic order freely established through the will of the people against the activities of persons, groups or organizations that engage in or refuse to renounce terrorism or violence aimed at the overthrow of that order or of that of another participating State. (7) To ensure that the will of the people serves as the basis of the authority of government, the participating States will (7.1) - hold free elections at reasonable intervals, as established by law; (7.2) - permit all seats in at least one chamber of the national legislature to be freely contested in a popular vote; (7.3) - guarantee universal and equal suffrage to adult citizens;