79

Article 79 1. A general election shall be held during the period starting a the beginning of the fifty- seventh month and ending at the end of the fifty-ninth month of a session of the National Assembly. 2. Where a person ceases to be a directly elected member of the National Assembly under Article 81, a by-election shall be held within 30 days of the person ceasing to be a member of the Assembly unless the cessation occurred within three months before the beginning of the period within which a general election is required to be held under clause (1). 3. Subject to clause (4), a directly elected member of the National Assembly shall be directly elected by secret ballot by persons entitled to vote under this Constitution. 4. where immediately before the day appointed for the holding of an election there is only one candidate for election for an electoral area and that candidate has, since the day immediately following the day of the closing of the nominations for that area, been the sole candidate for the area, no ballot shall be held and- a. all the persons who were entitled to vote at the election in the electoral area shall be deemed to have cast their votes in favour of the candidate; and b. the Electoral Commissioner shall declare the candidate to be the directly elected member for the electoral area. 5. Where on the day immediately following the day of closing of nominations for an electoral area more than one candidate stand nominated for that area and on the day immediately before the day of election only one candidate stands nominated by reason of the withdrawal of nomination of other candidates, the election shall be postponed and a further period of not less than seven days shall be allowed for nomination of other candidates for that area. 6. Where on the day immediately following the day of closing of nominations for an electoral area one or more candidates stand-nominated for that area and one or more of th6m die before the day of election, the election shall be postponed and a further period of not less than seven days from the date of death of the candidate shall be allowed for nomination of other candidates for that area. 7. The election postponed pursuant to clause (5) or (6) shall be held on such date as the Electoral Commissioner may decide but, in any case, not later than thirty days of the occurrence of the event specified in those clauses which occurred last and the candidates nominated pursuant to those clauses shall, notwithstanding their withdrawal, be deemed to be the candidates for that election. 8. A law may provide for any matter, not otherwise provided for-in this Constitution, which is necessary or required to ensure a true, fair and effective election of members of the National Assembly.