The South PacificBoard

Following a late night session on August 07 the High Court issued an injunction to block the Election Commissioner from certifying the results of the Local Council election. Supporters of Volaworand, Drystar and Auphelia who had gathered at each candidate's campaign headquarters were left stunned as the victory parties had to be scrubbed at the last minute. The injunction came in response to a legal question that challenged the decision of Election Commissioner Tsunamy to discount any votes from Special Forces members in the Local Council election. The legal questions argues that the Charter guarantees the right to vote to all citizens and not just to WA members.

A number of citizens gathered in front of the High Court Building at 2504 Lampshade Street to protest the injunction, but the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices used a back entrance to avoid the protests as they exited the building. Chief Justice Kris Kringle, when asked to comment for the SPINN, simply stated that "elections are so 2019" and then explained that "the Local Council has no need for elections now that the Admiral General is taking over". When asked to clarify whether the High Court would remain neutral or support the agenda of Delegate-Elect Amerion, the Chief Justice refused to comment and got into the back of a black limousine. A recent financial report claims that the Chief Justice received the limousine to be a gift from the Amerion campaign, formally known as the Campaign to Elect the Admiral General.

Tsunamy has expressed their dismay at the Court's injunction and responded by submitting an amendment to the Judicial Act that would allow rulings to be issued in less than 72 hours. The amendment was withdrawn soon after, faced with fierce resistance from Pro-Amerion legislators. With dejected supporters of the would-be Local Councillors and a Chief Justice with questionable links to Amerion, it is unclear how the High Court will rule and whether it can be trusted to do the right thing.

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. This publication is satirical and does not necessarily reflect the facts or the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific.