23 April 2002

The stitched-up electoral deal between Prime Minister, Helen Clark, Alliance Leader, Laile Harre, and de facto Alliance Leader, Jim Anderton, is making a ridiculous sham of the Electoral Integrity Act, says National Shadow Leader of the House, Gerry Brownlee.

"The ongoing confusion around who is entitled to claim the Alliance brand is calling into question the integrity of the House.

"When the issue of Alliance party membership was raised in Parliament today, there was considerable confusion around the status of the members and several attempts at clarification were left unanswered.

"The Speaker informed the House that Statute (the Electoral (Integrity) Act) takes precedence over Standing Orders.

"Laile Harre, as the legitimate leader of the Alliance that the Electoral Commission recognised at the last election, is morally bound to adhere to the Electoral Integrity Act and advise the Speaker that Jim Anderton and his five followers are no longer members of the Alliance, so the Alliance can have five new List MPs and Mr Anderton can fight a by-election.

"Her failure to do so binds her to the deception of legitimate government that the Prime Minister is attempting to perpetrate, and Laile Harre will have zero chance of any future return to Parliament," says Mr Brownlee.

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