Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: N Mapisa-Nqakula: Debate on Electoral Commission Amendment Bill, NA
ADDRESS BY HON. NN MAPISA NQAKULA, SOUTH AFRICA'S MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SECOND READING DEBATE FOR THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION AMENDMENT BILL, National Assembly, Cape Town, 15 June 2004
Madam Speaker,
Honourable Members
Friends!
I must thank you for allowing us to present this Bill to you at this stage in your already busy programme for this current session of Parliament. We appreciate the understanding we received from everybody, including most of the political parties who sympathised with our urgent need to bring this Bill before the House as a result of circumstances over which we had no control.
The Bill itself is a one paragraph text that seeks to amend the Electoral Commission Act, (Act 51 of 1996) so as to make provision for the President to extend the term of Office of a member of the commission for a specified period under certain circumstances and to provide for matters connected therewith.
This was as a result of the pending expiry of the current term of certain Commissioners within the IEC and the indication by the Chief Justice that the Panel that he convenes that is responsible for the appointment of new Commissioners will not have finalised its work at the time of the coming of this pending deadline.
Section 7 of the principal Act that deals with the term of office of members, currently does not provide for an extension under circumstances such as the ones we are faced with now. We have therefore thought it necessary to effect this amendment. We will want to assure Madam Speaker and Honourable Members, that we have been sensitive to the reality that what we are dealing with is a Chapter Nine institution that is very central to our democracy. Every consideration has been made to ensure that as far as possible the integrity and respect these institutions is maintained and we would not hastily bring this amendment to you were it not utterly necessary.
I therefore present the Electoral Commission Amendment Bill for consideration by this House.
I thank you!
Issued by Ministry of Home Affairs
15 June 2004
Source: Department of Home Affairs (http://www.home-affairs.gov.za)
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