Elections Long Overdue

Extended Terms for Cabinet!..

The democratic process in The South Pacific appears to have temporarily stalled. The last elections, in which the current members of the Cabinet were elected to office, were held back in August 2007.

With elections scheduled to take place every 4 months, SPOT have contacted the independent Election Commission (EC) to find out exactly what has been going on…

SPOT: Can you clarify for our readers the cause/s for the elections not taking place as is outlined in the Election Laws?..

EC - Tsrill: There are several reasons that are related to each other. The Election Commission has not been complete for a couple of months since the resignation of previous chief commissioner Minbaric Federal Zones, and the remaining commissioners did not have their terms extended in a timely fashion. Further, neither of the remaining commissioners was made chief commissioner, which could explain a lack of initiative from the side of the commission.
EC – Tsu: There have been some issues as to when the election was to have taken place, partially due to the fact of election commission members leaving the game.

SPOT: Are there measures that you will introduce to prevent this from happening again?..

EC – Tsu: I think people leaving is a fact of life. Therefore, we will just need to be more organized and on top of things when such a member becomes inactive.
EC - Tsrill: There is not really that much the commission can do, except putting more pressure on the Delegate to appoint a new EC member if one resigns, and a stronger lobbying for appointing a new chief if the chief resigns.

SPOT: When do you anticipate the next election to be called?..

EC - Tsrill: I have heard that the Delegate is on the lookout for a new commission member, so I hope as soon as possible.
EC – Tsu: Shortly after we have a full election commission.

SPOT: Are you planning to release an up to date election schedule and if so, when will this be?..

EC – Tsu: Hopefully, an election schedule can be put together. However, timing in regard to that is undetermined at this time.
EC - Tsrill: As soon as the next election can be planned, a schedule can be published.

SPOT: Have you been in contact with the Delegate regarding when the vacant Commissioner role will be filled and who is likely to be nominated as the Chair of the EC?..

EC - Tsrill: We have made sure that the Delegate is aware of the problem, and as far as I know she has approached candidates, so hopefully our democratic limbo will be resolved soon.
EC – Tsu: The delegate is aware of the vacancy; however I'm not at liberty to discuss possibly candidates for the position.

Many thanks to the Election Commission, Tsrill & Tsunamy for allowing us the time to conduct this interview.