Presidential and National Elections

The conduct and supervision of voter registration. The conduct and supervision of elections and referenda. The delimitation of constituencies. The monitoring of election campaigns. The registration and public financing of political parties.

Appointment of Electoral Commissioners

The Constitution provides for the President of the Republic and the Leader of the Opposition to each appoint one member to the Constitutional Appointments Authority and these persons in turn, by agreement, appoint a third member to serve as Chairperson. Where the two cannot agree, they must submit a list of not less than two and not more than three candidates to the President who then makes a final decision. The present members of the body were appointed by the Constitutional Commission which drafted the Constitution and on which all the main political parties at the time were represented.

Appointment of Electoral Commissioners

The President is elected for a five-year term and cannot hold office for more than three terms. Members of the National Assembly are also elected for a five-year term although the Constitution provides that National Assembly elections shall be held during the period starting at the beginning -of the 57th month and ending at the end of the 59th month of a session. According to the Elections -Act, the Electoral Commission announces, by notice in the Gazette, the date or dates on which the presidential or a National Assembly election should be held.

The Holding of Presidential and National Assembly Elections

Under the Political Parties (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Act 1996, the registered political parties are entitled to monies from a fund (the Political Parties Financial Support Fund) appropriated by an Act of the National Assembly. The Registrar of Political Parties determines the total amount of financial assistance to be paid out of the fund on or before 30 January of each year. Each registered political party which nominated candidates for the immediately preceding general election to the National Assembly is entitled to receive out of the total funds such sum as is equal to the percentage of valid votes cast in favour of the candidates nominated by that party. For 1997, a total of SR7.5 million was appropriated for assistance to political parties. By the year 2000, SR 0.5million was approved to share amongst political parties, all paid monthly by the Electoral Commission

The Funding of Political Parties

There is no limit in law to either a party’s or an individual candidate’s campaign expenditure, but that Clause 94 of the Election Act 1995 stipulates that within 60 days after the results elections are declared, a candidate, party or party agent has to submit to the Electoral Commission a statement of funds received and expenditure incurred ( NOT INDICATING THE SOURCE OF FUNDING OR TO WHOM PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO).

Campaigning