National ponders electoral petition

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 8

National ponders electoral petition

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington The finance committee of the National Party is due to consider today whether the party should seek an electoral petition to reconsider the result for the Wairarapa electorate during the recent General Election. It has until October 15, two months after polling day, to decide. Wairarapa was won by National’s Mr Wyatt Creech on polling day by 65 votes but the final count, after special votes were in, gave it back to Labour’s Mr Reg Boorman by seven votes. National sought a judicial recount, which confirmed Mr Boorman as winner, but by only one vote. Since then National has

been reviewing its options and particularly whether it could find any Illegal votes cast for Mr Boorman that would justify it in seeking In court petition to have the result overturned. If such a petition were sought, it would cost National up to 1150,000 in legal fees and other expenses, and cost Labour an equal sum to contest. The president of the National Party, Mr Neville Young, said that petitioning would be considered at today’s meeting but that a final decision was not likely. “The more we go into it the more it seems likely that we will wait as long as possible and acquire as much information and advice as we can before we finally decide,” he said.