Last week Parry professed that there will be an island wide election as opposed to a by-election following a court ruling that made the seat occupied by former Deputy Premier Hensley Daniel null and void.

Douglas on Tuesday explained that as Premier, Parry has had the right at any time to advise the Governor General to dissolve Parliament.

There is a section in the constitution that gives the authority to dissolve the parliament at any time and call a general election and so he is going under that relevant section of the constitution.

He stated that if a vacancy arises, instead of having a by-election within the 90 days, as the constitution,  he can call a general election and go back to the polls.

He added that after an analysis of the court ruling from reputable lawyers there has been no indication that both Parry and Daniel are ineligible to contest the election once again.

Douglas went on to say that the government had been closely monitoring the situation and analysing how best they can apply the recommendations made by the court to enhance the electoral process in the federation.

Many members of the general public questioned Parry’s authority to call the election which is due, citing that he was illegally appointed as premier and should not be able to call the poll. 

According to Section 47 of the Constitution, “The Governor-General may at any time prorogue or dissolve the Legislature.  In the exercise of his powers to dissolve the Legislature the Governor-General shall act in accordance with the advice of the Premier, but before any such advice is given the Premier shall consult the Prime Minister.”