According to the Constitutional Court’s decision, the yet-to-be-amended Election Rules will treat each vote equally. In its final report, the study committee headed by Hans Lim A Po made two recommendations. One suggestion is to assign one seat to each of the ten districts, with the remaining 41 seats being apportioned using national proportionality based on the votes cast. The second idea is to award two seats to each district and the remaining 31 via proportional voting across the country.
The committee, in the opinion of President Chan Santokhi, has done a fantastic job. On Tuesday, the study group gave the President and Assembly Speaker a report. According to Santokhi, the government and parliament will begin working on a draft bill in two months. The National Assembly must pass the Election Rules Amendment with a two-thirds majority by the end of this year at the latest. The elections in May 2025 can be prepared for in 2024.
Articles 9 and 24 of the Election Rules were ruled to be non-binding by the Constitutional Court on August 5, Lim A Po pointed out during the presentation. The CHof’s choice has been carefully examined. Voting by citizens is now prohibited until the electoral regulations have been changed. In order to create a parliament that is a good reflection of the political currents and ideas of the people, the plan, according to Lim A Po, attempts to modify the current electoral system to one in which every vote is equal and every vote has equal weight. “The suggested approach implements equality as a legal precept and a practical application of the “one person, one vote” principle. In light of the fact that this proposal fits within and is consistent with our legal system, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that it does so “Lim A Po said.
The CHof has received the seat distribution in the Electoral Regulation from attorney Serena Muntslag-Essed. She wanted to know whether Article 9 is contrary to the Constitution and international treaties. The CHof has ruled that Article 9, the distribution of seats, and the determination of the district boundaries are not in accordance with the Constitution and international treaties. There is no ‘one person one vote’.
