The Plenary of the House of Representatives has mandated its Joint Committees on elections and inauguration affairs and judiciary to review a proposed Act seeking to repeal Section 5.1(A) and related provisions of the New Elections Law.
The decision followed the submission of the proposed legislation by Nimba County Electoral District #7 Representative, Musa Hassan Bility.
Bility requested the Legislature’s consideration of an Act to repeal provisions of the elections law that authorize the exclusion, suspension, deregistration, or disqualification of legally registered political parties based solely on their performance in previous elections.
In his communication to Plenary, Rep. Bility argued that the proposal is grounded in a fundamental democratic principle that the people, and not the government to determine which political parties continue to exist and participate in the democratic process.
“The role of election laws is to facilitate political participation, not to restrict it.”
Bility further said, the constitution guarantees freedom of association, equal protection under the law, political participation, and the right of citizens to form and join political parties.
These constitutional rights, he said, should not be conditioned upon a political party’s electoral success or failure in previous elections.
The proposed legislation seeks to remove legal provisions that permit sanctions against registered political parties solely on the basis of electoral performance.
The aim is to promote political participation and strengthen the democratic framework.
Plenary has forwarded the proposed Act to its Joint Committees on elections and inauguration affairs and judiciary for review and analysis.
