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34 votes majority is supported by Kenyan Guideline
DEAR EDITOR,
Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Barton Scotland has stated that he has received information from other countries that raised doubt as to whether the no confidence motion was carried.
The Speaker, an Attorney-at-Law, said that one of the issues raised was whether the motion needed 34 instead of 33 votes by which the motion was declared carried. The support for a majority of elected MPs in a Parliament of odd numbers being one half (rounded up) plus one came from several countries, including Kenya.
The Kenyan Speaker in a Guideline “Requirements for Vote of No Confidence Motion to Pass” said:
“It must be clearly understood that it is the majority of all members of the House as distinct from those present and voting. As of today, there are 221 Members including an ex officio Member. One half of that is 110.5. Since there is no half Member, I will round it to the nearest whole number which is 111. A majority of votes for the purposes of Section 59 (3) of the Constitution is therefore 112”
This supports the Guyana position where 65 MPs are the elected Members. A majority is one-half rounded up, plus one. This is 65 divided by 2 equal 32.5 rounded up to 33 + 1 = 34.
This is not hard to understand and the Speaker is quite right in doubt as to whether the no confidence motion was passed with 33 votes.
Regards,
Carla Mendonca
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