An Act to make provision for the election of members of the National Assembly under a system of Proportional Representation and for purposes connected therewith.
(25TH, SEPTEMBER, 1964)
Source -- http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Ele...Guyana/guyrep01.html
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Some relevant sections of the Act
96. The Chief Election Officer shall calculate the total number of valid votes of electors which have been cast for each list of candidates and thereupon shall ascertain the result of the election in accordance with sections 97 and 98.
97.
- The total number of votes cast for all the lists of candidates shall be divided by fifty-three and the whole number resulting from that division shall be known as "the electoral quota".
- The number of votes cast for any list shall be divided by the electoral quota; there shall be allocated to that list a number of seats equal to the whole number resulting from that division; and the number of votes represented by a fraction so resulting shall be known as "surplus votes" of the list; and if the number of votes cast in accordance with this Act for any list is less than the electoral quota, those votes shall accordingly be treated as surplus votes of that list.
- Any seat or seats remaining unallocated after seats have been allocated in accordance with subsection (2) shall be allocated as follows-
- one seat shall be allocated to the list with the largest number of surplus votes;
- if the number of seats so remaining is two or more, one seat shall be allocated to the list with the next largest number of surplus votes, and so on until all the seats so remaining have been allocated;
- for the purposes of this paragraph, where two or more lists have equal numbers of surplus votes, then lots shall be drawn by the Chairman of the Commission in the presence of the representatives of the lists affected to determine which list or lists shall be deemed to have more surplus votes than the other list or lists.
- For the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this section a combination of lists shall be treated as one list.
- The seats allocated to a combination of lists shall be allocated among the lists comprised in the combination in accordance with subsections (2) and (3), the electoral quota for that purpose being the whole number found by dividing the total number of votes cast for the combination of lists by the number of seats allocated to the combination.
98. When seats have, in pursuance of section 97, been allocated .to any list of candidates-
- the representative of the list; or
- if the representative is unwilling or unable (by reason of absence, illness or any other cause when he is called upon by the Chief Election Officer) sot o do, the deputy representative of such list; or
- in case of any such unwiLlingness or inability on the part of the deputy representative, a majority of the persons named in that list may designate in writing any such person able and willing (when called upon as aforesaid) so to do. who,
shall extract from the said list as many names belonging to candidates selected by him for the purpose, including his own name, as if he has not ben declared elected as President under article 177 of the Constitution as can be so extracted without their number exceeding the number of seats allocated to that list; and the Chief Election Officer shall declare such names, in the order of their extraction as aforesaid, to be the names of the candidates on such list who have been elected.
84.
- Subject to the provisions of this Act, the votes cast at the polling places in each district shall be counted by the returning officer of that district in accordance with the provisions of this Part.
- If the Chief Election Officer is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient in the interests of the carrying out of the provisions of this Part with due despatch or security he may, by notice published in the Gazette, direct that for the purposes of the counting of the votes the returning officers of districts specified in the notice shall count the votes for their respective districts at a place appointed by the said notice and this Act shall have effect accordingly.
- Where the Chief Election Officer has given a direction pursuant to subsection (29)
- he may designate one of the returning officers of the districts specified in the notice to exercise general direction and supervision over the counting of votes at the place so appointed;
- references in this Part to election officers, duly appointed candidates and counting agents shall have effect as if they included references to such persons appointed in respect of any of the districts in respect of which the direction applies.