Official text · word for word
34. Supervisor of Elections
(1) There shall be a Supervisor of Elections whose duty it shall be to exercise general supervision over the registration of voters in elections of Representatives and over the conduct of such elections.
(2) The functions of the office of Supervisor of Elections shall be exercised either by the person holding or acting in such public office as may for the time being be designated in that behalf by the Governor-General or, if the Governor-General so decides, by such other person who is not a public officer as may for the time being be so designated.
(3) A person shall not enter upon the duties of the office of Supervisor of Elections until he or she has taken and subscribed the oath of allegiance and the oath of office.
(4) For the purposes of the exercise of his or her functions under subsection (1), the Supervisor of Elections may give such directions as he or she considers necessary or expedient to any registering officer, presiding officer or returning officer relating to the exercise by that officer of his or her functions under any law regulating the registration of voters or the conduct of elections, and any officer to whom any such directions are given shall comply with those directions.
(5) The Supervisor of Elections may, whenever he or she considers it necessary or expedient to do so and shall whenever so required by the Commission, report to the Electoral Commission on the exercise of his or her functions under subsection (1); he or she shall also submit every such report to the Minister for the time being responsible for matters relating to the election of Representatives; and that Minister shall, not later than seven days after the National Assembly first meets after he or she has received the report, lay it before the Assembly together with such comments thereon as he or she may have received from the Commission.
(6) In the exercise of his or her powers under subsection (2) the Governor-General shall act in his or her own deliberate judgment after consulting the Prime Minister, the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition.
(7) In the exercise of his or her functions under subsection (1), the Supervisor of Elections shall act in accordance with such directions as he or she may from time to time be given by the Electoral Commission but shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority.
(8) The Supervisor of Elections shall exercise such other functions in relation to elections (whether to the National Assembly or to local government authorities) as may be prescribed by or under any law enacted by Parliament.