Ineligibility as a restriction on the right to stand for election encompasses criteria that pre-empt a candidate from standing for election. They arise from the holding of certain positions or the exercise of certain activities, the individual decision of a court, or certain integral characteristics such as age.
Ineligibility is generally ascertained before an election, meaning that restrictions falling within its scope normally preclude a candidate from standing for election in the first place. There are a multitude of criteria which might determine a person’s ineligibility to stand for office.