Electoral Act, 1963

Amendment of Rule 1 of First Schedule to Principal Act.

55.—The following Rule is hereby substituted for Rule 1 of the First Schedule to the Principal Act:

“1. (1) It shall be lawful for any local returning officer with the consent of the Minister to appoint a deputy local returning officer for the discharge of all or any particular part of the duties of such local returning officer.

(2) Where at a contested presidential election the same person is local returning officer for two or more constituencies, he shall—

(a) in case those constituencies are two and not more, appoint, in respect of one of them, a deputy local returning officer to open the ballot boxes and count the votes,

(b) in any other case, appoint, in respect of each of the constituencies (except one), a deputy local returning officer to open the ballot boxes and count the votes.

(3) A person shall not be appointed under paragraph (2) of this Rule unless the appointment has been approved of by the Minister.

(4) Subject to the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs, the local returning officer for a constituency shall conduct a presidential election in such constituency unless he is prevented from so doing by illness or other reasonable cause sufficient in the opinion of the Minister.

(5) References in the subsequent Rules of this Schedule to local returning officers shall, where appropriate, include references to deputy local returning officers.”