2 weeks ago
10
People’s National Party, PNP, general secretary, Dr. Dayton Campbell is calling for urgent clarity regarding Legal Affairs Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte’s comments concerning the constitutional due date of general elections.
During a meeting of the joint select committee on the Constitution Amendment Republic Act. Mrs. Malahoo Forte suggested the required date to hold the polls is not September as commonly believed.
Dr. Campbell labelled the comment by the legal affairs minister gratuitous. He says the Jamaican people expect to go to the polls by September to elect a new government.
The PNP general secretary says that expectation is not merely political, but constitutional. He insists It must not be frustrated.
The PNP reiterates that under Jamaica’s Constitution, if the prime minister does not advise the governor general to dissolve Parliament, it will do so automatically upon the completion of its term.
Dr. Campbell says once Parliament is dissolved, a general election must be held within three months.
He says Jamaica is not at war, and there are no conditions currently present that would permit a lawful extension or deviation from this timeline.
The PNP is cautioning against what it sees as the potential abusing or misinterpreting of any constitutional provisions for which the objective requirements do not exist.
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