A painful omission
Editorial
Yes, we missed it too, but an alert by Renate and Denicio Brison pointed our noses on to the facts: the national decree announcing elections for August 19 contains a painful omission that seems to be impossible to repair without breaking the law.
Read the related article here: Will elections have to be postponed again?
Maybe readers know this already: new political parties that want to contest elections have to register with the Electoral Council more than six weeks before postulation day. Because the May 27 decree sets postulation day at July 2 this is not possible because the deadline of May 20 has already expired.
If this was not so serious it would be hilarious. Meaning, the Prime Minister, the Governor and the Chairlady of the Central Voting Bureau came up together with this solution and they all overlooked the deadline for the registration of political parties. How is this even possible?
Even funnier is that the May 27 decree explicitly states that the government has taken into account the possibility for political parties to register, adding that it wants to abide by the rules laid down in the Electoral Law. The three architects of the May 27 national decree must have realized their mistake by now. Question: what are they going to do about it?
The most logical solution is, according to us, a new national decree with a new date for the elections. A decree that respects the deadlines established in the Electoral Law and thereby gives anyone who wants to register a new political party the chance to do so. Only then will we have fair elections.
Admitting to mistakes is not the strong point of most politicians so there is always the possibility that Prime Minister Mercelina – with the Governor – will make an attempt to ignore the obvious problem away. Such a move will not sit well with the Central Voting Bureau, the party that holds the key to a sensible solution because we all know: without the Central Voting Bureau there can be no elections.
Our best guess: there will soon be a new national decree with a new date for the elections, carefully written by people who will keep a keen eye on their calendar this time.
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Related news:
Will elections have to be postponed again?
Pro Soualiga presents elegant solution for conflicts Article 59 of the Constitution with the electoral laws
Elections postponed until August 19
Interim elections: “A dilemma about fundamental values”
Opinion piece: Legislative Oversight
New elections will be held on July 18
Governor on “current political developments”
The Need for Critical Analysis of the Recent Government Formation Process
Voters’ real concerns: the Bread and Butter Issues
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