No Hutt petition
PA Wellington The National Party will not file an election petition in a bid to wrest the Western Hutt seat from Labour. The party’s president (Mr G. A. Chapman) yesterday gave reasons for the decision not to fight in the courts Labour’s upset win in the electorate. While alleging that there had been “significant irregularities” in polling in the marginal seat through dual voting, dual registrations, and voting by persons not qualified to vote, Mr Chapman said he had been advised that though an election petition would severely prune Labour’s majority, it could not be said with certainty that National would win. The seat was won for
Labour by Mr J. J. Terris, a senior official with the Public Service Association and a Lower Hutt city councillor. His victory over the sitting National member, Mr B. S. Lambert, was upheld after a magisterial recount. Mr Chapman said that the filing of a petition in the electorate would create considerable constitutional uncertainty by having the outcome for three electorates in the balance for some months. For that reason, he said, it would be inappropriate for him, as president of the party which was the Government to authorise a petition in Western Hutt. The party had received a comprehensive legal opinion from a Queen’s Counsel.
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Press, 12 February 1979, Page 2
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216No Hutt petition Press, 12 February 1979, Page 2
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