Parliament has been presented with a constitutional amendment that would redefine the process by which legislators lose their seats following expulsion from a political party. The measure seeks to shift authority from party leadership to the electorate, requiring a popular vote before a member’s removal can take effect.
The proposal was submitted by Ibrahim Shujau, the Member of Parliament for Baarah, acting on behalf of the government.
Under current provisions, a parliamentarian elected on a political party’s ticket automatically forfeits their seat if they defect to another party or are expelled by their original party. This mechanism, most recently enacted, binds parliamentary membership directly to party discipline.
The amendment introduces two new subsections under Article 73 of the constitution. While the article presently stipulates the loss of a seat upon expulsion, the proposed subsections would require a public referendum before such forfeiture could be enforced.
The proposal places the power of recall within the electoral district. A referendum would be held among the citizens of the constituency from which the member was elected.
For a seat to be vacated, a majority of participating voters must support the removal. If the majority threshold is not achieved, the member would remain in parliament as an independent for the remainder of the term.
Members who retain their seats through a referendum but remain expelled from their party would face additional limitations. They would be barred from joining any political party for the duration of their elected term.
Should a member affiliate with another party during that period, they would be immediately removed from parliament. This provision ensures that while representatives are shielded from automatic party-driven recall, they cannot use their independent status to re-enter organised political groups during the same legislative period.