In what is being perceived as a total disregard for the
views of the opposition and at least 50 percent of the population, the
government has proposed amendments to the Elections Act that will allow
residents of Perseverance to vote for two MNAs in a twelve-month period.
At present, when a new electoral area is approved by the
National Assembly, receives the assent of the President and gazetted, the area
automatically becomes a district upon the dissolution of the National Assembly.
During meetings between the Electoral Commission and
representatives of political parties, objections were raised as the law says
someone ought to have been a resident in an electoral area for at least three
months at the time of elections to be allowed to vote.
To bypass this issue, the Elections (Amendment) bill 2016 published in the official gazette on 2 June
states that where a new electoral area has gone through the process, the people
living in that area will be able to vote in their previous district at an
election.
The other problem raised during meetings between the EC and
political parties involved young voters who have just turned 18 and living at
Perseverance. The proposed law says they will be registered in their previous
districts of residence even if they were kids before moving to Perseverance.
A third section makes provisions where Seychellois who have
lived overseas and who are now residing at Perseverance, will have to register
in the district where they originated. The most interesting part of the bill
says that a referendum shall be held within a period of one year from the date
of dissolution of the National Assembly.
To put it simply, if
the National Assembly is dissolved next week, residents of Perseverance will vote in their
former districts and within a year they
will again vote at Perseverance for their own Member of the National Assembly
(MNA).
“This is pure gerrymandering,” a senior official of the main
opposition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa said adding that “given that they will be voting for their own MNA
within a year, residents of Perseverance should not vote in other districts.”
The measures published in the official gazette may be unlawful and there is a
strong possibility the amendments to the Elections Act may be challenged in
court.
The decision taken by the government is pretty much in line with
the stance taken by representatives of Parti Lepep during meetings with the
Election Commission which suggested that citizens should be allowed to vote in
the area where they last resided until such time that Perseverance residents
are able to vote for their own MNAs. The opposition, on the other hand, had
proposed an amendment to article 116 (5) of the Constitution to make a draft
order come into effect upon its publication in the official gazette and not
upon the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Source:TiS
