LEGISLATION
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1954.tb00055.x |
| Published date | 01 April 1954 |
| Date | 01 April 1954 |
LEGISLATION
LEGISLATION
1. GENERAL.
103
Ex-Officio members
Special members to represent commercial and mining interests
Elected members .. . ... .. . .. . ... .. . ...
GOLD
COAST. Electoral Prooisions Ordinance,
No.
33 of 1953.
Provides for a wholly elected membership of the next Legislative Assembly.
The
country is divided into 7 municipal and 97 rural electoral districts, each
returning a single member.
The
delimitation is based on an African population
of approximately 40,000 in each electoral district,
but
avoids any overlapping
of regions. As far as possible no local government areas have been split, since
there is to be a common register of voters for central and local elections. Ex-
officio
and special members disappear.
Subject to the usual disqualifications, every man and woman, who has attained
the age of 21, is entitled to be registered as an Assembly elector if he or she,
(a) is a British subject or British protected person, or, not being either of these,
is serving in the armed forces of the Crown in the Gold Coast or in the
Gold Coast Police Force;
(b) either owns immovable property within, or has resided for six out of the
last twelve months within the ward of the electoral district in respect of
which application is made; and
(c) being liable thereto, has paid thc basic rate to the local government
council.
A single system of direct election is to be adopted for the election of all
members, whether municipal or rural. A single method of voting will be used,
devised to make voting easy for illiter.atcs, and it has been agreed
that
literate
voters shall conform. Ballot papers will therefore not require to he marked by
voters and a separate box, clearly marked with name, symbol and colour will be
provided for each candidate.
The
qualifications of candidates arc laid down in the Order in Council, not in
locally enacted legislation.They must be British subjects or British protected
persons and must have reached the age of 25 and be fully literate in English.
The
following tables show the composition of the old and new Assemblies:
Old New
3None
5None
75 104
6
1
12
In the old Assembly the distribution of the 75 seats was as follows:
The Colony.
Chosen by the Chiefs Councils of the Colony and Southern Togoland 12
Municipal
members-directly
elected .. . ... ... ...
...
4
Rural
members-indirectly
elected 21
Ashanti.
Chosen by the Asanteman Council
Municipal members--directly elected
Rural
members-indirectly
elected
Narthern Territories.
Chosen by an enlarged Northern Territories Council
...
37
19
19
75
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