The Bahá'í administration refers to the administrative circle of the Known in India as the Lotus Temple, the Bahai House of Worship attracts an average of three and a half million visitors a year. The Baháí Faith is a monotheistic religion whose members follow the teachings of Baháulláh, founder and prophet of... Bahá'í Faith. It is split into two parts, the elected which include Local, National is the Japanese brand under which Matsushita products are sold. In the US, they are sold under the Panasonic brand. See also Nationality ... National Spiritual Assembly and the Seat of The Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the name used by Baháulláh for the elected supreme institution of the Baháí Faith, The nine-member institution administers the affairs of the Baháí community. This body is elected every five years. History In... Universal House of Justice and the appointed which include the Continental Counselors, Auxiliary Board members and their assistants.

Elections

Campaigning

Baha'i elections have a number of unique characteristics.

• Campaigning and thus party politics is prohibited.
• There are no nominations.
• Voters are urged not to consult with each other about the suitability of individuals.

Belivers accept that these charactersitics result in a divinely directed election process and reduces the accountability of the voted (as they are accountable only to God). The elections are won by plurality.

Critics

Critics cite:

• This methodology reduces the level of democracy since the delegate does not know whom Bahá'ís in his or her area would prefer as National Spiritual Assembly members, and Baha'is don't know whom their delegate voted for so they can hold the delegate accountable during the next election for delegates. The public therefore have no direct say or input in who, at the National and Worldwide level, leads their faith.
• Although no nominations are made, the incumbants and individuals appointed to prominant offices and roles by Baha'i institutions controlled by incumbants may be seen as effectively nominated due to their larger exposure to the public.
• No accountability means that often the public and voters:
  • do not know who their delegate voted for
  • are unable to voice dissatisfaction to their delegate concerning voting results
  • and might be responsible for decisions, both good and bad, made on the elected body[1]  (http://iranscope.ghandchi.com/Anthology/Bahai/fundamentalism.htm).

At a worldwide level no Seat of The Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the name used by Baháulláh for the elected supreme institution of the Baháí Faith, The nine-member institution administers the affairs of the Baháí community. This body is elected every five years. History In... Universal House of Justice (UHJ) member has ever been voted out, and it is common for the vacancies on the UHJ to be filled by the members of the UHJ appointed International Teaching Centre (ITC) as was done in recent elections for two vacancies on the UHJ.[2] (http://news.bahai.org/story.cfm?storyid=358) Critics maintain that the UHJ elections have been reduced to a process of self-appointment, in which the UHJ effectively appoints its own members through its appointment to the ITC because ITC members are given the greatest exposure to the NSAs of the world that elect the UHJ.

Method

Bahá'í elections use a three-stage Representative democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein voters choose (in free, secret, multi-party elections) representatives to act in their interests, but not as their proxies—i.e., not necessarily as directed but with enough authority to exercise initiative in the face of changing... representative democratic model.

Local or Regional

At the local (city, town, county) level of administration, the Local Spiritual Assembly, adult Bahá'ís in that particular locality get to vote once a year for their nine-member Local Spiritual Assembly.

In the United States and India, regional councils are elected by members of these Local Spiritual Assemblies in an election conducted by mail. Again, no nominations occur, each Local Spiritual Assembly member is direted to submit the names of the individuals in the region they feel are best suited to serve.

National

The selection of the National Spiritual Assembly is also indirect using a different methodology. The nation is divided into voting districts or units. In each district the members are charged to select one or more delegates who will represent them at the annual national convention, and who will vote for the members of the National Spiritual Assembly. The members at the local level then elect the individual whom they believe will best represent them at the national convention, and who is the best qualified to vote for National Spiritual Assembly members. No input is provided to the delegate on whom to vote for in the national election. The number of delegates per country is determined by the Seat of The Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the name used by Baháulláh for the elected supreme institution of the Baháí Faith, The nine-member institution administers the affairs of the Baháí community. This body is elected every five years. History In... Universal House of Justice according to the size of the national community; the National Spiritual Assembly determines the geographic area covered by each unit/district.

Worldwide

Once every five years the National Spiritual Assemblies of every country meet at the Baháí World Centre The name given to the administrative center of the Baháí Faith. Based in Haifa, Israel, the Bahai World Centre is recognisable by the gardens that dominate the area of Mount Carmel directly above the sea port. Structurally Structurally, the Baháí... Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa (Hebrew חיפה; Arabic حيفا Ḥayfā) is the third-largest city in Israel, with a population close to 300,000. Areas and towns around it are deemed to be in the Haifa District, of which it is also a part. It is... Haifa, The State of Israel (Hebrew: מדינת ישראל, translit.: Medinat Yisrael; Arabic: دولة اسرائيل, translit.: Daulat Israil) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea... Israel and ballot for members of the Seat of The Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the name used by Baháulláh for the elected supreme institution of the Baháí Faith, The nine-member institution administers the affairs of the Baháí community. This body is elected every five years. History In... Universal House of Justice. The members of the National Spiritual Assemblies are charged to vote for the best individuals to serve on the Universal House of Justice.