Section 6: Qualifications of members

6. Qualifications of members (1) Subject to subsection (2), a person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the Regional Assembly if, and shall not be so qualified unless, he— (a) is a citizen of Mauritius not less than the age of 18 years; (b) has resided in Rodrigues for a period of, or periods amounting in the aggregate to, not less than 2 years before the date of his nomination for election; (c) has resided in Rodrigues for a period of not less than 6 months immediately before that date; and (d) is able to speak and, unless incapacitated by blindness or other physical cause, to read the English and French languages with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable him to take an active part in the proceedings of the Assembly. (2) No person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the Regional Assembly who— (a) is a member of the National Assembly; (b) is a public officer or a local government officer; (c) is a party to, or a partner in a firm or a director or manager of a company which is a party to, any contract with the Government and/or the Regional Assembly for or on account of the public service, and has not, within 14 days after his nomination as a candidate for election, published in the Gazette and in a newspaper circulating in Rodrigues a notice setting out the nature of such contract and his interest, or the interest of any such firm or company, therein; (d) has been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt and has not been discharged or has obtained the benefit of a cessio bonorum in Mauritius; (e) is a person adjudged to be of unsound mind or detained as a criminal lunatic under any law in force in Mauritius; (f) is under sentence of death, or is serving a sentence of imprisonment, by whatever name called, exceeding 12 months, imposed on him by a Court of law or substituted by a competent authority for some other sentence imposed on him by a Court, or is under such a sentence of imprisonment the execution of which has been suspended; (g) is disqualified for election by any law in force in Mauritius by reason of his holding, or acting in, an office the functions of which involve— (i) any responsibility for, or in connection with, the conduct of any election; or [Issue 9] R30 – 6 Revised Laws of Mauritius (ii) any responsibility for the compilation or revision of any electoral register; or (h) is disqualified for membership of the National Assembly by any law in force in Mauritius relating to offences connected with elections. (3) For the purpose of this section— (a) 2 or more terms of imprisonment that are required to be served consecutively shall be regarded as a single term of imprisonment for the aggregate period of those terms; and (b) imprisonment in default of payment of a fine shall be disregarded. (4) A member of the Regional Assembly who stands as candidate for election to the National Assembly shall, if elected, be deemed to have resigned his seat in the Regional Assembly.