2020 Electoral Processes Report | SGI Sustainable Governance Indicators

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

2020 Electoral Processes Report | SGI Sustainable Governance Indicators Electoral Processes Report Candidacy Procedures, Media Access, Voting and Registration Rights, Party Financing, Popular Decision-Making m o c . e b o d a . k c Sustainable Governance o t s - e g Indicators 2020 e v © Sustainable Governance SGI Indicators SGI 2020 | 2 Electoral Processes Indicator Candidacy Procedures Question How fair are procedures for registering candidates and parties? 41 OECD and EU countries are sorted according to their performance on a scale from 10 (best) to 1 (lowest). This scale is tied to four qualitative evaluation levels. 10-9 = Legal regulations provide for a fair registration procedure for all elections; candidates and parties are not discriminated against. 8-6 = A few restrictions on election procedures discriminate against a small number of candidates and parties. 5-3 = Some unreasonable restrictions on election procedures exist that discriminate against many candidates and parties. 2-1 = Discriminating registration procedures for elections are widespread and prevent a large number of potential candidates or parties from participating. Australia Score 10 The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent statutory authority that oversees the registration of candidates and parties according to the registration provisions of Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. The AEC is accountable for the conduct of elections to a cross-party parliamentary committee, the joint standing committee on electoral matters (JSCEM). JSCEM holds inquiries into and reports on any issues relating to electoral laws and practices and their administration. There are no significant barriers to registration for any potential candidate or party. A party requires a minimum of 500 members who are on the electoral roll. A candidate for a federal election must be an Australian citizen, without dual citizenship, at least 18 years old and must not be serving a prison sentence of 12 months or more, or be an undischarged bankrupt or insolvent. There were no changes to the laws relating to candidacy procedures in the period under review, and the process remains open, transparent and in line with international best practices. However, in October 2017, following revelations that at least seven parliamentarians held citizenship of another country – in most cases by ancestry rather than by birth – the High Court ruled that five parliamentarians were ineligible to serve as members of Australia’s parliament. This generated considerable political instability. Canada Score 10 The right to be a candidate in a federal election is laid down in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with the associated procedures and responsibilities specified in the Canada Elections Act. There are virtually no restrictions on becoming a SGI 2020 | 3 Electoral Processes candidate for election. Almost all Canadian citizens 18 years old or over can present themselves as candidates for federal elections. Exceptions include members of provincial or territorial legislatures, certain judges, election officers, people who were candidates in a previous election but who did not conform to the expense- reporting rules, and persons imprisoned in a correctional institution. There is no cost to being a candidate in a federal election. A CAD 1,000 deposit is required, but this is reimbursed if the candidate’s official agent submits the electoral campaign return after the election within the prescribed time. Administrative procedures are not onerous (a nomination form is required containing signatures by either 50 or 100 people residing in the constituency in which the candidate wants to run, with the number depending on the electoral district’s population). Czechia Score 10 Electoral registration procedures are fair and transparent. To establish a political party, three citizens aged 18 or over need to submit the new party’s statutes to authorities, backed by 1,000 signatures. The 1991 law on political parties and movements establishes conditions to exclude parties lacking democratically elected organs or that aim to remove the democratic foundations of the state, restrict the freedoms of other parties, or threaten morality and public order. There are occasional calls to ban the Communist party, but no legal steps have been taken, and there is no consensus that such measures are necessary. A total of 39 political groupings took part in the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019, and no conflicts over the registration of candidates occurred. Since 2012, the president of Czechia has been elected by citizens in a direct election. Any citizen with the right to vote who has reached 40 years of age is eligible to run for election for a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. Denmark Score 10 The basic rule for candidacy procedures is laid out in section 30 of the Danish constitution: “Any person who is entitled to vote at general (parliamentary) elections shall be eligible for membership of the Folketinget, unless he has been convicted of an act which in the eyes of the public makes him unworthy to be a member of the Folketinget.” It is the unicameral parliament (Folketinget) itself, which, in the end, decides whether a conviction makes someone unworthy of membership. In practice, political parties play an important role in selecting candidates for elections. It is possible to run in an election in a personal capacity, but extremely difficult to be elected that way. Given the relatively high number of political parties, it is reasonably easy to become a candidate for a party. There is also the possibility of forming a new party. New parties have to collect a number of signatures to be able to run, corresponding to 1/175 of the number of votes cast at the last election. SGI 2020 | 4 Electoral Processes Citation: The Constitutional Act of Denmark of June 5, 1953, http://www.eu- oplysningen.dk/upload/application/pdf/0172b719/Constitution%20of%20Denmark.pdf (accessed 15 April 2013). Henrik Zahle, Dansk forfatningsret I: Institutioner og regulering. Copenhagen: Christian Ejlers‟ Forlag, 2005. Jørgen Grønnegård Christensen og Jørgen Elklit (eds.) Det demokratiske system. 4. udgave. Hans Reitzels Forlag, 2016. Estonia Score 10 The principles of fair and free elections are laid out in the Estonian constitution. Estonia has a proportional representation electoral system, which means that most candidates are registered within party lists. The composition of party lists is a matter of internal procedures that are set by the statute of the political party. Only officially registered political parties can nominate candidate lists in parliamentary elections. In order to be registered, a political party must have at least 500 permanent members, the lists of whom are made public online. For each candidate, a deposit equal to the monthly minimum wage must be paid. In addition to political parties, two or more citizens can form an election coalition to participate in municipal elections. Every person who has the right to stand as a candidate may nominate him or herself as an independent candidate. Independent candidates can participate in parliamentary, local and European Parliament elections. The largely ceremonial Estonian president is elected by the parliament or a special Electoral College composed of members of parliament and representatives of local councils. Candidates must be nominated by at least one-fifth of the serving members of parliament. Citation: Estonian National Electoral Committee https://www.valimised.ee/en Finland Score 10 The electoral process in Finland is free and fair, and the country’s constitution grants Finnish citizens the right to participate in national elections and referendums. Registered political parties have the right to nominate candidates, though all voters have the right to influence the nomination process. Electoral associations of at least 100 enfranchised citizens also have the right of nomination. However, the role of these associations has been marginal. Candidates for presidential elections can be nominated by any political party that is represented in parliament at the time of nomination. Candidates may also be nominated by associations of at least 20,000 enfranchised citizens. President Sauli Niinistö, who was re-elected by an overwhelming majority in the 2018 elections, preferred to be nominated by a voters’ association rather than a specific political party and collected more than 150,000 supportive signatures for this purpose. Presidential candidates must be Finnish citizens by birth, while young people under guardianship and those in active military service cannot stand as candidates in SGI 2020 | 5 Electoral Processes parliamentary elections. The procedure for registering political parties is regulated by the Party Law of 1969. Parties which fail to elect representatives to parliament in two successive elections are removed from the list of registered parties. However, by gathering signatures of 5,000 supporters, a party may be re-registered. Citation: Dag Anckar and Carsten Anckar, “Finland,” in Dieter Nohlen and Philip Stöver, eds. Elections in Europe. A Data Handbook, Nomos, 2010. France Score 10 The electoral process is fair at all levels, and controls by ad hoc commissions or the judiciary ensure the smooth running of elections. There are some restrictions to assure that only serious candidates stand in presidential contests. These include a requirement that each potential candidate has to obtain 500 signatures of support from elected persons, such as mayors or senators, from a third of French départements,
Recommended publications
  • Dr. Theresa Reidy the Citizens' Assembly
    Paper of Dr. Theresa Reidy University College Cork delivered to The Citizens’ Assembly on 13 January 2018 Session 6: Citizens’ Initiatives Theresa Reidy, University College Cork Introduction Voters in most countries choose their public representatives at national elections. The representatives elected go on to sit in parliament and/or take up executive office. They are responsible for governing on behalf of the citizens that have elected them. We call this representative democracy. Direct democracy occurs when citizens are asked to vote on a specific issue in a referendum or initiative vote. Ireland is a representative democracy which uses referendums (an instrument of direct democracy) to make decisions on changes to the constitution. Many states incorporate elements of direct democracy into their overall systems of representative democracy. Citizens’ initiatives are another tool of direct democracy. Citizens’ initiatives Citizens’ initiative is an umbrella term often used to cover a series of instruments which allow voters to propose a new policy, law or constitutional amendment or to repeal an existing or new piece of legislation. The specific instruments which fall into this category include: 1. A citizens’ initiative which refers to voters proposing and voting in a popular vote on a new legislative or constitutional proposal. 2. An agenda initiative which allows citizens to propose new legislation. If the vote on the agenda initiative is successful, the proposal passes to parliament. Parliament may accept or amend the proposal. 3. An abrogative referendum (sometimes also known as a repeal initiative) which allows citizens to vote to retain or repeal an existing law. 4. A rejective referendums which allows citizens to vote accept or reject a new law.
    [Show full text]
  • Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1
    1 Are Condorcet and Minimax Voting Systems the Best?1 Richard B. Darlington Cornell University Abstract For decades, the minimax voting system was well known to experts on voting systems, but was not widely considered to be one of the best systems. But in recent years, two important experts, Nicolaus Tideman and Andrew Myers, have both recognized minimax as one of the best systems. I agree with that. This paper presents my own reasons for preferring minimax. The paper explicitly discusses about 20 systems. Comments invited. [email protected] Copyright Richard B. Darlington May be distributed free for non-commercial purposes Keywords Voting system Condorcet Minimax 1. Many thanks to Nicolaus Tideman, Andrew Myers, Sharon Weinberg, Eduardo Marchena, my wife Betsy Darlington, and my daughter Lois Darlington, all of whom contributed many valuable suggestions. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and summary 3 2. The variety of voting systems 4 3. Some electoral criteria violated by minimax’s competitors 6 Monotonicity 7 Strategic voting 7 Completeness 7 Simplicity 8 Ease of voting 8 Resistance to vote-splitting and spoiling 8 Straddling 8 Condorcet consistency (CC) 8 4. Dismissing eight criteria violated by minimax 9 4.1 The absolute loser, Condorcet loser, and preference inversion criteria 9 4.2 Three anti-manipulation criteria 10 4.3 SCC/IIA 11 4.4 Multiple districts 12 5. Simulation studies on voting systems 13 5.1. Why our computer simulations use spatial models of voter behavior 13 5.2 Four computer simulations 15 5.2.1 Features and purposes of the studies 15 5.2.2 Further description of the studies 16 5.2.3 Results and discussion 18 6.
    [Show full text]
  • GMA Classiccut Brochure
    GMA Garnet ClassicCutTM GUARANTEED PURITY | HIGHER PERFORMANCE | NO OVERSIZE GRAINS | REDUCED ABRASIVE CONSUMPTION The World’s Most Popular Waterjet Abrasive Major Industries GMA Garnet™ is the recognised industry standard among manufacturers of • Stone Cutting waterjet cutting machinery. It is precisely engineered to support both peak • Metalworking performance and longer lasting operating life of today’s highly sensitive • Manufacturing waterjet cutting tools. • Aerospace • Automotive The unique grain hardness of GMA Garnet™ guarantees highest production • Defense rates and a perfect cutting edge from the first cut. Consistent, accurate • Glass Cutting product sizing ensures no oversize grains, and enables steady abrasive flow • Transportation with no blockages in the focusing tube. Additionally, we offer the widest variety of job specific waterjet cutting abrasives which allows our customers to deliver optimal results. ASIA PACIFIC | AMERICAS | EUROPE | MIDDLE EAST gmagarnet.com GMA Garnet™ Waterjet Cutting Abrasives GMA Garnet™ Grade Focusing Tube Orifice ClassicCut™ 50 .050” .016 - .018” High Speed Cutting 500-200 micron 1.27mm .407 - .457mm ClassicCut™ 80 .030 - .040” .010 - .014” Precision Edge (Industry Standard) 350-150 micron .762 - 1.02mm .254 - .356mm ClassicCut™ 120 .020 - .030” .007 - .010” High Precision Edge 200-100 micron .508 - .762mm .178 - .254mm Cutting Abrasive Applications Distribution & Packaging ClassicCut™ 50 GMA Garnet™ is ideally suited for Our products are readily High Speed Cutting. Where high performance all applications including: available through our established cutting is paramount. • Carbon Steel distribution network across • Stainless Steel Europe. ClassicCut™ 80 The most versatile waterjet abrasive grade. • Aluminium Our packaging options: Delivers the optimum balance of cutting speed • Copper • 25 kg paper bags on 1 metric and precision edging.
    [Show full text]
  • RED C Recruitment Questionnaire
    190916 Recruitment Questionnaire Assign No. Respondent No: Record respondent numbers in the exact order that you recruit each person. The 1st person that you recruit should be respondent 1, the 2nd person that you recruit will be respondent 2 and so on. The first 5 people that you recruit from your quota of 10 will be assigned to the main list and the remaining 5 will be assigned to the reserve list. Everyone recruited will be contacted in due course. Good morning/afternoon. I'm ...................... from RED C Research & Marketing Ltd, the independent Irish market research agency. We are conducting a short survey with the aim of recruiting people to take part in the Citizens Assembly, would you mind answering a few simple questions? To ensure we speak to a random selection of people, we are asked to speak to the person currently in the household who is next to have a birthday? Can you confirm you are the person in the household next to have a birthday or can I speak to that person? C.1 Firstly, do any of your family work in any of the following industries or professions? READ OUT Accountancy 1 CONTINUE Journalism 2 CLOSE AND Market Research 3 RECUIT Senators/ TDs 4 SUBSTITUTE Other elected representatives 5 Retail 6 CONTINUE Teaching 7 None of these X [IF NECESSARY EXPLAIN THAT SENATORS AND TDS ARE BEING EXCLUDED ON THE BASIS THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ASSEMBLY WILL BE REFERRED TO THE OIREACHTAS AT WHICH POINT ITS MEMBERS VIEWS WILL BE CONSIDERED] C.2 Are you currently, have been or intend to be acting in an advocacy role for any
    [Show full text]
  • Free PDF Version
    TONY CZARNECKI POSTHUMANS - II Democracy For a Human Federation REFORMING DEMOCRACY FOR HUMANITY’S COEXISTENCE WITH SUPERINTELLIGENCE London, July 2020 Democracy for a Human Federation Reforming Democracy for Humanity’s Coexistence with Superintelligence © Tony Czarnecki 2020 The right of Tony Czarnecki to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This edition, July 2020 First published in 2019 by Sustensis ISBN: 9781689622332 London, July 2020 For any questions or comments please visit: http://www.sustensis.co.uk 2 For my grandson Leon 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS POSTHUMANS - II ................................................................................................................................ 1 FOREWORD TO POSTHUMANS SERIES ........................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 8 PART 1 A PERILOUS ROAD TOWARDS A HUMAN FEDERATION ........................................ 11 CHAPTER 1 HUMANITY AT A TURNING POINT ........................................................................ 12 WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? ................................................................................................................. 12 LIVING IN THE WORLD OF EXPONENTIAL CHANGE ............................................................................. 13 IS THIS THE END OF HISTORY? ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Single-Winner Voting Method Comparison Chart
    Single-winner Voting Method Comparison Chart This chart compares the most widely discussed voting methods for electing a single winner (and thus does not deal with multi-seat or proportional representation methods). There are countless possible evaluation criteria. The Criteria at the top of the list are those we believe are most important to U.S. voters. Plurality Two- Instant Approval4 Range5 Condorcet Borda (FPTP)1 Round Runoff methods6 Count7 Runoff2 (IRV)3 resistance to low9 medium high11 medium12 medium high14 low15 spoilers8 10 13 later-no-harm yes17 yes18 yes19 no20 no21 no22 no23 criterion16 resistance to low25 high26 high27 low28 low29 high30 low31 strategic voting24 majority-favorite yes33 yes34 yes35 no36 no37 yes38 no39 criterion32 mutual-majority no41 no42 yes43 no44 no45 yes/no 46 no47 criterion40 prospects for high49 high50 high51 medium52 low53 low54 low55 U.S. adoption48 Condorcet-loser no57 yes58 yes59 no60 no61 yes/no 62 yes63 criterion56 Condorcet- no65 no66 no67 no68 no69 yes70 no71 winner criterion64 independence of no73 no74 yes75 yes/no 76 yes/no 77 yes/no 78 no79 clones criterion72 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 monotonicity yes no no yes yes yes/no yes criterion80 prepared by FairVote: The Center for voting and Democracy (April 2009). References Austen-Smith, David, and Jeffrey Banks (1991). “Monotonicity in Electoral Systems”. American Political Science Review, Vol. 85, No. 2 (June): 531-537. Brewer, Albert P. (1993). “First- and Secon-Choice Votes in Alabama”. The Alabama Review, A Quarterly Review of Alabama History, Vol. ?? (April): ?? - ?? Burgin, Maggie (1931). The Direct Primary System in Alabama.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Gains from Apparentments Under D'hondt?
    CIS Working Paper No 48, 2009 Published by the Center for Comparative and International Studies (ETH Zurich and University of Zurich) Who gains from apparentments under D’Hondt? Dr. Daniel Bochsler University of Zurich Universität Zürich Who gains from apparentments under D’Hondt? Daniel Bochsler post-doctoral research fellow Center for Comparative and International Studies Universität Zürich Seilergraben 53 CH-8001 Zürich Switzerland Centre for the Study of Imperfections in Democracies Central European University Nador utca 9 H-1051 Budapest Hungary [email protected] phone: +41 44 634 50 28 http://www.bochsler.eu Acknowledgements I am in dept to Sebastian Maier, Friedrich Pukelsheim, Peter Leutgäb, Hanspeter Kriesi, and Alex Fischer, who provided very insightful comments on earlier versions of this paper. Manuscript Who gains from apparentments under D’Hondt? Apparentments – or coalitions of several electoral lists – are a widely neglected aspect of the study of proportional electoral systems. This paper proposes a formal model that explains the benefits political parties derive from apparentments, based on their alliance strategies and relative size. In doing so, it reveals that apparentments are most beneficial for highly fractionalised political blocs. However, it also emerges that large parties stand to gain much more from apparentments than small parties do. Because of this, small parties are likely to join in apparentments with other small parties, excluding large parties where possible. These arguments are tested empirically, using a new dataset from the Swiss national parliamentary elections covering a period from 1995 to 2007. Keywords: Electoral systems; apparentments; mechanical effect; PR; D’Hondt. Apparentments, a neglected feature of electoral systems Seat allocation rules in proportional representation (PR) systems have been subject to widespread political debate, and one particularly under-analysed subject in this area is list apparentments.
    [Show full text]
  • Northland Tourism Product Directory 2017 Paddle Boarding at the Poor Knights Islands Northland Welcome 1
    Northland Tourism Product Directory 2017 Paddle boarding at the Poor Knights Islands Northland Welcome 1 Cape Reinga - Te Rerenga Wairua Welcome The Northland Tourism Product Directory is attractions. Our marine activities deserve a special mention. Dive an essential tool for sellers and distributors of expert Jacques Cousteau rated The Poor Knights, a marine reserve Northland holidays and conferences. off the Tutukaka Coast, as one of the top-ten dive sites in the world. For marine lovers and water sport enthusiasts the Bay of Islands is Subtropical Northland begins only one hour’s drive north of an aquatic playground. There is a range of professional Northland Auckland. Renowned for spectacular coastlines, marine reserves tourism operators that offer water-based tours including dolphin and kauri forests - the natural landscape is our speciality. viewing and swimming, charters and lessons. Accommodation options range from luxury lodges and upmarket retreats, to hotels, In addition to our scenic offerings, Northland is home to world-class motels, farmstays, B&Bs and holiday parks. You can opt for a bit luxury resorts, golf courses, and has an abundance of walking tracks of luxury perched high on a cliff top overlooking the sea, a bush and a new cycle trail which links the east and west coasts. We are hideaway set in subtropical gardens, or the ultimate glamping a land of firsts. Not only did the first Mäori canoe land on Northland experience. Northland has it all. shores; it was also where the first European settlers arrived, New Zealand's favourite domestic holiday destination, Northland's accommodation options range from luxury lodges and upmarket retreats, to hotels, motels, farmstays, B&Bs and holiday parks.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heritage Problem: Is Current Policy on Earthquake-Prone
    Liv Henrich and John McClure The Heritage Problem is current policy on This series of earthquakes has acted as earthquake-prone heritage a wake-up call for many citizens of earthquake-prone regions and has highlighted the importance of preparing buildings too costly? for earthquakes (McClure et al., 2016). These events have also reinforced the Introduction political drive to strengthen legislative Earthquakes are a major hazard around the world policy for earthquake-prone buildings, particularly after the Canterbury earth- (Bjornerud, 2016). A recent example is New Zealand, where quakes. Earthquake resilience has become an issue in political discourse and public three major earthquake events occurred within a six-year policy in New Zealand. Although period. The 2010–11 earthquakes in Canterbury, centred earthquakes are unpredictable events, the damage they trigger can be greatly reduced close to the city of Christchurch, led to 185 fatalities, mainly through actions to ensure the resilience of due to two collapsed buildings and crumbling facades building structures (Spittal et al., 2008). The major cause of fatalities in earthquakes (Crampton and Meade, 2016). In addition, the rebuild of is the collapse of buildings (Spence, 2007), as demonstrated in the Canterbury Christchurch after the earthquakes cost $40 billion (English, earthquakes. Strengthening buildings is 2013), a large sum for a small country. Subsequent large thus a key measure to reduce harm from earthquakes, and may also provide earthquakes occurred in 2013 in Seddon (close to Wellington) economic benefits (Auckland Council, 2015). New Zealand, like many countries, and in 2016 in Kaiköura. has policies on earthquake legislation that Liv Henrich completed her MSc in Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington and is working affect these mitigation actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy
    Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy How do democracies form and what makes them die? Daniel Ziblatt revisits this timely and classic question in a wide-ranging historical narrative that traces the evolution of modern political democracy in Europe from its modest beginnings in 1830s Britain to Adolf Hitler’s 1933 seizure of power in Weimar Germany. Based on rich historical and quantitative evidence, the book offers a major reinterpretation of European history and the question of how stable political democracy is achieved. The barriers to inclusive political rule, Ziblatt finds, were not inevitably overcome by unstoppable tides of socioeconomic change, a simple triumph of a growing middle class, or even by working class collective action. Instead, political democracy’s fate surprisingly hinged on how conservative political parties – the historical defenders of power, wealth, and privilege – recast themselves and coped with the rise of their own radical right. With striking modern parallels, the book has vital implications for today’s new and old democracies under siege. Daniel Ziblatt is Professor of Government at Harvard University where he is also a resident fellow of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. He is also currently Fernand Braudel Senior Fellow at the European University Institute. His first book, Structuring the State: The Formation of Italy and Germany and the Puzzle of Federalism (2006) received several prizes from the American Political Science Association. He has written extensively on the emergence of democracy in European political history, publishing in journals such as American Political Science Review, Journal of Economic History, and World Politics.
    [Show full text]
  • Electoral Processes Report | SGI Sustainable Governance Indicators
    Electoral Processes Report Candidacy Procedures, Media Access, Voting and Registration Rights, Party Financing, Popular Decision-Making m o c . e b o d a . k c Sustainable Governance o t s - e g Indicators 2018 e v © Sustainable Governance SGI Indicators SGI 2018 | 1 Electoral Processes Indicator Candidacy Procedures Question How fair are procedures for registering candidates and parties? 41 OECD and EU countries are sorted according to their performance on a scale from 10 (best) to 1 (lowest). This scale is tied to four qualitative evaluation levels. 10-9 = Legal regulations provide for a fair registration procedure for all elections; candidates and parties are not discriminated against. 8-6 = A few restrictions on election procedures discriminate against a small number of candidates and parties. 5-3 = Some unreasonable restrictions on election procedures exist that discriminate against many candidates and parties. 2-1 = Discriminating registration procedures for elections are widespread and prevent a large number of potential candidates or parties from participating. Australia Score 10 The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an independent statutory authority that oversees the registration of candidates and parties according to the registration provisions of Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act. The AEC is accountable for the conduct of elections to a cross-party parliamentary committee, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM). JSCEM inquiries into and reports on any issues relating to electoral laws and practices and their administration. There are no significant barriers to registration for any potential candidate or party. A party requires a minimum of 500 members who are on the electoral roll.
    [Show full text]
  • Wellington Botanic Gardens — NZ Walking Access Commission Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa
    10/8/2021 Wellington Botanic Gardens — NZ Walking Access Commission Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa Wellington Botanic Gardens Walking Wheelchair / Pram Accessible Dog Friendly Difculty Easy Length 10.7 km Journey Time 10 mins to 2 hours Region Wellington Sub-Region Wellington City Track maintained by https://www.walkingaccess.govt.nz/track/wellington-botanic-gardens/pdfPreview 1/4 10/8/2021 y Wellington Botanic Gardens — NZ Walking Access Commission Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa Wellington City Council Enjoy surprises and views around every turn. Wellington Botanic Garden hosts exotic forest, native bush, oral displays and themed gardens that will inspire your gardening at home. Bring a lunch and make it an outing or escape from the ofce for a quick break. Join the trails together to see all the sights. Downhill Path - Walk from the Cable Car down the hill and stop to enjoy the main collections in the Botanic Garden including the Australian Garden and the Succulent Garden. Kowhai Walk - Walk from the top of the Botanic Garden past the Dominion Observatory, Carter Observatory, Krupp Gun and Space Place. Sculpture Trail - From the Lady Norwood Rose Garden loop around the Sculpture Trail to spot 6 works nestled amongst the plants. Bush Walk – Follow the native New Zealand bush from the Cable Car, downhill or follow the rtail in the other direction to end with the harbour vista. Sensation Trail | Louis Braille Trail – Pick up a Braille brochure from the Treehouse Visitor Centre to venture through the gardens to nd tactile markers that show Braille sign posts nearby. Conditions: Get prepared Bring a picnic and rellable water bottle to make the most of your trip.
    [Show full text]