Commentary on Sections Registration of parties Section 50 Confirmation of registered particulars
279.This section amends section 32 of the 2000 Act (Confirmation of Registered particulars), by setting a new period within which a party must submit to the Electoral Commission confirmation of the party’s registered particulars.
280.Section 32(1) of the 2000 Act currently requires the treasurer of a registered political party to provide the Electoral Commission with confirmation of the party’s registered particulars at the same time as the party submits its annual statement of accounts.
281.Subsections (2) and (3) amend section 32(1) and insert new section 32(1A) respectively. Consequently, a party is no longer required to submit confirmation of its registered particulars at the same time as it submits its annual statement of accounts. Instead, confirmation of registered particulars must be submitted within the “specified period”.
282.The “specified period” begins on the first day of the period within which the party must submit its statement of accounts and ends six months after the end of that period. At present, under section 45 of the 2000 Act, a party required to submit unaudited accounts must do so within 3 months from the end of the party’s financial year. Section 54 of the Electoral Administration Act amends section 45 of the 2000 Act to extend this period to 4 months. A registered political party required to submit audited accounts, is required to have its accounts audited within six months from the end of the party’s financial year and must submit its statement of accounts within seven days from the end of that six month period. Therefore, a registered political party required to submit unaudited accounts will have 10 months from the end of the its financial year to submit its confirmation of particulars to the Electoral Commission. A registered political party required to submit audited accounts will have 12 months and one week to do so.