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Electoral Commission Amendment Bill 2012

TONGA

ELECTORAL COMMISSION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2012

Arrangement of Sections

Section
1 Short Title
2 Section 4(1) amended – Members of the Commission

EXPLANATORY NOTES

ELECTORAL COMMISSION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2012

A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONACT

BE IT ENACTED by the King and Legislative Assembly of Tonga in the Legislature of the Kingdom as follows:

1 Short Title

(1) This Act may be cited as the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Act 2012.
(2) The Electoral Commission Act, as amended, is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

2 Section 4(1) amended – Members of the Commission

Section 4(1)(c) of the Principal Act is amended by deleting the words "Auditor General" and substituting it with the words "a person appointed by the King for such term as he may deem fit".

Passed by the Legislative Assembly on this 3rd day of September 2012.

Explanatory Notes

(This note does not form part of the draft Bill, and is intended only to explain its purpose and effect.)

This Bill was approved by Cabinet to be processed under Cabinet Decision number 2032 of 21 December 2011.

The amendment is intended to replace the membership of the Auditor General in the Electoral Commission with a person to be appointed by the King.

The Auditor General had taken the view that his office's independence would be compromised if he sat on the Commission. By this amendment the Commission will be able to operate with the intended 3 members.

Neil Adsett
Attorney General