Dual citizens should be allowed to contest the general elections - Karunaratne

The Freedom Alliance Party has recommended that people with dual citizenship should be allowed to contest the general elections.

According to the law if a person with a dual citizenship wants to contest the elections, they must rescind their other citizenship.

Party Leader Jagath Karunaratne made a submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights on the electoral bills before the committee this morning.

Karunaratne says there are some suggestions that this provision is there on a basis that the loyalty of a member must remain with the country they represent.

He says loyalty is an emotion and not something that can be defined based on a certificate.

Karunaratne adds the question of loyalty is irrelevant because any person can be bought by money regardless of him being a citizen of Fiji or not.

He says if a person with dual citizenship can vote and lead a political party, then the person should also be allowed to contest the elections.

The electoral bills include the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2020; Electoral (Registration of Voters) (Amendment) Bill 2020; and Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures)(Amendment) Bill 2020.