Sanctus – Following the ratification of the constitutional amendment to the powers and composition of the Senate, Prime Minister Joshua Turner today confirmed that parliament would be dissolved sometime next year to allow the changes to take place. The Prime Minister also confirmed later to the press that the Sanctarian Conservative Party Conference would be held at the end of January, almost a year earlier than expected which is fuelling rumours that the leader of the SCP would be stepping down from his role.
In a speech to the House of Deputies today, Turner said that he was delighted the amendment passed and that the new Senate would give the people a far greater voice. Legislation confirming the constituencies, and other electoral-related law, will now drafted and put before Parliament before the dissolution which, the Prime Minister admitted, would now be necessary to give effect to the constitutional change. “We promised a new Senate in place before the end of March”, Turner told the House before continuing that he “intended for that promise to be kept”.
The passage of the amendment also sees the House of Deputies now limited to five years. The Prime Minister also said today that while that doesn’t apply to the House currently in session, he wished to abide by the spirit of the change and not have the House continue to sit until the end of their seventh year. A backbench SCP MP later said that this was a further argument put to the Prime Minister when the issue of dissolution cropped up.
With the SCP currently slipping in the polls, the Prime Minister is taking a chance at calling an election as it could result in power being given to the Democratic Left Party and Charlene Hendry. Ms Hendry, who told welcomed the news of dissolution, said that her party was looking forward to the election battle but warned that Parliament’s work must not be effected in the build up to dissolution.
SARAH PLEDYS, Political Editor
