THE Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) says under the National Parliament Electoral Provisions Act, a person does not have to be a registered voter in order to be nominated as a candidate in a national election.
“Provided he is at least 21 years old, a Solomon Islands citizen and does not meet any of the grounds for disqualification under s49 of the Constitution, an intending candidate will be able to be nominated to contest the election,” SIEC said in a statement.
It was responding to a letter to the editor published inthe Solomon Star on Thursday.
“As we have said before, that there is a difference between the eligibility requirements under the National Parliament Electoral Provisions Act and the Political Parties Integrity Act.
“Under the new Political Parties Integrity Act, a candidate intending to contest as a party candidate must be a registered voter in accordance with Section 46 of the Act.
“However the administration of this Act is the responsibility of the Political Parties Commission, not SIEC.
“All inquiries about these provisions should be directed to the Political Parties Commission.
“It should also be noted that, under the MPEP Act, the three people nominating that candidate must all be registered voters in the constituency that person intends to contest.”
