130.This section replaces rule 60 of Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983 (Death of candidate at a Parliamentary Election) with new rules 60 to 65. Following the delay caused by the death of a candidate in the constituency of South Staffordshire at the 5 May 2005 General Election, concerns were raised about the efficacy of the procedure for dealing with the death of a candidate in these circumstances. New rules 60 to 65 address this problem by reducing the delay in rescheduling the date of poll as a result of the death of a candidate, by allowing registered political parties to field an alternative candidate if their candidate dies and by allowing the original election timetable to continue uninterrupted should the deceased candidate be an independent.
Commentary on Sections Death of Candidate Section 24 Death of candidate