The Communist Party has attacked a last-minute decision by the Electoral Commission to ban its descriptions as the “Communist Party“, the “Welsh Communist Party” and the “Scottish Communist Party” on ballot papers for the May 6 elections.
All three names have long been registered with the Electoral Commission which has now decided to ban them with immediate effect.
In previous elections to the Welsh Senedd, the party has described itself as the “Welsh Communist Party” on ballot papers and in campaign materials and party election broadcasts. Scottish Communists have been planning to describe themselves as the “Scottish Communist Party“.
“There appears to be no good reason to take this drastic step“, Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths declares, “and the Electoral Commission must know that forcing us to describe ourselves as the ‘Communist Party of Britain’ in Scotland and Wales is a vote-loser“.
He pointed out that the commission’s decision is final, with no right of appeal, and leaves no time for the registration of other names before submitting nomination papers for the May 6 elections.
The Communist Party leader also revealed that Welsh broadcasters have already informed the party that it will qualify for election broadcasts as the “Welsh Communist Party“, on the basis that it will again be contesting all five regional lists under that name in the Senedd election.
“There is a whiff of sabotage about this and it is not the first time in recent years that the Electoral Commission has treated the Communist Party unfairly and incompetently“, Mr Griffiths remarked.
Challenge News Desk
