National Assembly Elections (Amendment) Bill,2020

      No. of 2020 National Assembly Elections (Amendment)       Saint Christopher 

          Bill, 2020                     and Nevis

SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS

No.         of 2020

A BILL to amend the National Assembly Elections Act, Cap. 2.01. 

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the National Assembly of Saint Christopher and Nevis and by the authority of the same as follows:

1. Short title.

This Act may be cited as the National Assembly Elections (Amendment) Act, 2020.

2. Interpretation.

In this Act, 

“principal Act” means the National Assembly Elections Act, Cap. 2.01;

3. Amendment of section 2.

The principal Act is amended in section 2 by adding the following definition of the term “Commonwealth Caribbean Country” in the correct alphabetical order  

““Commonwealth Caribbean Country” means any country specified in Part I of the First Schedule;”.

4. Amendment of section 37.

The principal Act is amended in section 37, 

1. by replacing subsection (1) (d) and adding paragraphs (e) as follows

“(d) a citizen of a Commonwealth Caribbean Country of eighteen years or upwards and is ordinarily resident in Saint Christopher and Nevis at least twelve months immediately before the registration date;

 (e) a Commonwealth citizen, not being a citizen of Saint Christopher and Nevis or a citizen of a Commonwealth Caribbean Country, of eighteen years or upwards who has been ordinarily resident in Saint Christopher and Nevis at least three years immediately before the registration date;”.

2. by replacing subsection (3) as follows

“37 (3). Where a person who is ordinarily resident in Saint Christopher and Nevis is registered as a voter for a constituency and he or she has ceased to reside in that constituency then he or she shall 

(a) continue to be registered as a voter for that constituency, for a period not exceeding six months; and

(b) register in the other constituency that he or she is qualified to be registered in, as a voter.”.

5. Amendment of the First Schedule.

The principal Act is amended by 

1. renumbering the First Schedule as Part II to the First Schedule; and

2. inserting a new Part I to the First Schedule as follows

Part ICommonwealth Caribbean Countries(Section 2, 37)

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago.

……………………………..

1. MICHAEL PERKINS

              Speaker

Passed by the National Assembly this                day of                             , 2020.

                                                                                    ………………………………….

SONIA BODDIE-THOMPSON

      Clerk of the National Assembly

Explanatory Note

The purpose of the Bill is to amend the National Assembly Elections Act, Cap. 2.01. A Bill with the same title was read a first time on 13^th August, 2020, and will be replaced by this Bill.