“VOTE WHERE YOU SLEEP” SAYS GAPPY
Workers of five star hotels on Fregate, Silhouette and North Island have complained to this paper that Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Hendricks Gappy, has told them to vote where they sleep despite registering their strong protests. The workers who normally reside on Mahe Island have objected in the strongest terms against Gappy’s decision which they have described as unfair and unreasonable. Gappy is of the view that these workers should vote with the Inner Islands electoral area, which is their place of work, instead of the districts where they normally reside.
Gappy has long been accused of not being impartial and was recently taken before the Constitutional Court by Mr. Paul Chow, leader of the Democratic Party, who alleged that the election dates announced by Gappy contravenes the constitution. Although the case was dismissed by the Constitutional Court, Mr. Chow has already instructed his lawyers to appeal against the decision.
At the time of going to press it is understood that lawyers who will be representing Mr. Chow before the Seychelles Court of Appeal, have already filed a Notice of Appeal containing an unprecedented 32 grounds of appeal. This is the first time Gappy has been challenged before the Constitutional Court for acting unconstitutionally and the Court of appeal is expected to hear the appeal next week after a Roll Call on Monday. Mr. Frank Elizabeth, the attorney who represented Mr. Chow in the Constitutional Court and argued the case on his behalf, stated in the news bulletin in English on SBC television that he is “optimistic of getting a different result” from the Court of Appeal than the one reached by the Constitutional Court.
