No deadlines for registering political parties at the Electoral Council

PHILIPSBURG -- “Deadlines that would make it impossible for the Electoral Council to register new political parties do not exist.” This statement by the Council’s chairman Richard Gibson Jr. in a letter to the Pro Soualiga Foundation has triggered the question whether it is therefore possible for new political parties to register up to the day before the August 19 elections.

The answer to that question is: sure, but it does not mean that such a party can also take part in those elections.

Article 16, paragraph 2 of the national ordinance registration and finances political parties makes that clear: “A request for registration, submitted within six weeks before the date of Postulation Day, will not be handled for the subsequent elections.”

In a letter to the Electoral Council dated June 4, Pro Soualiga chairman Brison requested clarity about the deadline for new political parties to register and be eligible to participate in the upcoming snap elections. His question was obviously triggered by the fact that the national decree that establishes Election Day as August 19 does not contain a deadline for the registration of new political parties.

The Electoral Council points out that the registration process for new political parties “terminates at the Central Voting Bureau.”

Pro Soualiga urged the Electoral Council to take its solution for the potential violation of the Constitution into “serious consideration” before making any changes to the existing national decree that “according to your organization, might result in violating article 59.2 of the Constitution.”

The Electoral Council has however no role to play in this process, Gibson wrote; “The Electoral Council is not responsible for the drafting and issuance of national decrees. We respectfully suggest that you direct your thoughts and concerns to the competent authority.”

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