The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission has warned contesting candidates to be vigilant and to make sure their act of campaigning is legitimate. “Elections have laws that guide candidates, officials and voters and the general public and individuals that are in breached of these laws or electoral offenses face their penalties when found guilty in court. There are several election petitions court cases that have been filed in the past against winning candidates and officials and have resulted in some candidates loosing their parliamentary seats,” Mr Polycap Haununu.
“This should be a lesson learnt for all contesting candidates who will be standing for Ngella Parliamentary seat this coming by-election. They should be reminded of the bribery and voter influences court case scenarios and should ensure that their actions are within the bounds of law”, Mr Haununu said.
He urged candidates to assist Electoral Commission to avoid such scenarios and consequences happening again.
He also calls on the general public to be careful and cautious in their involvement in this whole election process since the Electoral law does not apply for candidates only but for all, both officials and voters as-well.
The Election law is in effect as soon as the Governor General announces the date for the election”, Mr Haununu re-emphasized.
Full Article: Electoral Commission Warns Candidates – Solomon Times Online.
