Greens call for Free and Fair Elections
1 February 2022
This year’s local elections must be postponed unless the whole country is back in the equivalent of tier 3 or below by the end of March, in order to ensure a free, fair and safe election, the Green Party has warned.
Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith, who in January wrote to political parties saying door to door campaigning was “neither essential nor necessary”, has now said that the elections on 6 May will go ahead. However, the Green Party has not had any reassurances from government over how the elections can go ahead if parties are not allowed to campaign.
Nicola Elson, who is set to stand for the Green Party in Falsgrave and Stepney, said,
” Elections need to be postponed if there is an unacceptable risk to public health or democracy. We need clear and impartial guidance, which is currently lacking and I therefore remain concerned as to the implications for our democratic process.”
Charlotte Bonner, Green candidate for Weaponness and Ramshill, continued,
“Public safety and upholding our democracy are really important. If voters can’t vote safely, and candidates can’t campaign safely, then the elections should be delayed. Putting restrictions on campaigning that negatively impacts independent candidates and those from smaller parties is completely unacceptable. Decisions should be made by Public Health England and the Electoral Commission, rather than the Government, who of course have a vested interest in how the election is run.”