Parliament passes bill to ensure voting rights of displaced people

Parliament yesterday passed a bill to ensure the voting rights of the displaced people in the North.

The legislature passed with amendment the Registration of Electors (Special Provisions) Bill tabled by the Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem in parliament earlier this month. The vote on the Bill was postponed by the House to allow more time to the opposition to discuss its contents with the Commissioner of Elections.

The bill, proposed by the Justice Minister, will allow the IDPs displaced from the North between May 1, 1983 and May 18, 2009 to register to vote if they have not been registered as voters in any other electoral district. The Supreme Court ruled that the special bill is consistent with the Constitution.