Commission looking into review of election laws

THE Government has started a review of elections laws, says Constitution and Law Reform Commission chairman Robert Atiyafa.
Atiyafa, Henganofi MP, will lead the review team.
He said the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission Act 2004 required that the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government elections reviews be undertaken by the commission.
“CLRC is the only government agency to review and propose changes to the constitution and the organic laws and acts of Parliament,” he said.
“This reform role is critical to the consistency and comprehensiveness of the laws of the country.”
Atiyafa said the review would focus on various issues.
They are the electoral boundaries, electoral roll system, eligibility for nominations, nomination fees, voter identification system, polling systems including polling periods and polling places, voting systems, the limited preferential voting or first-past-the-post system, local level government elections, electoral offences, election petitions, women and special group representation in parliament, advance voting and postal voting, powers functions and structure of the electoral commission and decentralisation of election responsibilities.
Electoral Commissioner Patilias Gamato said delivering the 2017 general election was challenging because of the legal framework.
Gamato said the commission had requested the government to review the Organic Law on the National and Local Level Government elections and regulations.
“I’m thankful to the government for appointing the CLRC to conduct an inquiry into the Organic Laws on the elections,” he said.
“I hope that the findings of the review can be presented for us to get amendments in the National and LLG elections.”