March 27, 2013 at 6:51 p.m.
The recent electoral challenges in our sister Overseas Territory, Turks and Caicos, which were based on non-disclosure of candidates’ interest in government contracts, are instructive for Bermuda. What remains important today is the extent to which Bermuda’s constitution requires similar disclosure by candidates and, more importantly, that our elections fully comply with our electoral laws. My concern is that we take our election laws seriously and be seen to be doing as much. This is critical so that we remain a strong democracy and have integrity in our electoral process.
To this end, I have initiated discussions with the Speaker of the House of Assembly to identify a process by which we can ensure without question that Members of Parliament are fully compliant with our election laws. I am hopeful we will have some movement on this soon as Parliament is the best vehicle for making this determination. Alternatively, given our current constitutional status, there is the option of appealing to the Governor for the establishment of a framework for assessing these issues.
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