Disqualifications for
membership of
Parliament.
76. (1) No person shall be qualified for election as a Member of Parliament—
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
if he is a naturalised citizen of Sierra Leone or is a citizen of a country other than Sierra Leone having
become such a citizen voluntarily or is under a declaration of allegiance to such a country; or
if he is a member of any Commission established under this Constitution, or a member of the Armed Forces
of the Republic, or a public officer, or an employee of a Public Corporation established by an Act of
Parliament, or has been such a member, officer or employee within twelve months prior to the date on
which he seeks to be elected to Parliament; or
if under any law in force in Sierra Leone he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of
unsound mind; or
if he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence which involves fraud or dishonesty; or
if he is under a sentence of death imposed on him by any court; or
if in the case of the election of such member as is referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 74,
he is for the time being a Paramount Chief under any law; or
if being a person possessed of professional qualifications, he is disqualified (otherwise than at his own
request) from practising his profession in Sierra Leone by order of any competent authority made in respect
of him personally within the immediately preceding five years of an election held in pursuance of section
87; or
if he is for the time being the President, the Vice-President, a Minister or a Deputy Minister under the
provisions of this Constitution.
(2) A person shall not be qualified for election to Parliament if he is convicted by any court of any offence connected
with the election of Members of Parliament:
Provided that in any such case the period of disqualification shall not exceed a period of five years from the date of
the general election following the one for which he was disqualified.
(3) Any person who is the holder of any office the functions of which involve responsibility for, or in connection
with, the conduct of any election to Parliament or the compilation of any register of voters for the purposes of such
an election shall not be qualified for election to Parliament.
(4) A person shall not be disqualified for election as a Member of Parliament under paragraph (b) of subsection (1)
by reason only that he holds the office of member of a Chiefdom Council, member of a Local Court or member of
any body corporate established by or under any of the following laws, that is to say, the Freetown Municipality Act,
the Chiefdom Councils Act, the Rural Area Act, the District Councils Act, the Sherbro Urban District Council Act,
the Bo Town Council Act, and the Townships Act or any law amending or replacing any of those laws.
(5) Save as otherwise provided by Parliament, a person shall not be disqualified from being a Member of Parliament
by reason only that he holds office as a member of a Statutory Corporation.
Tenure of Members of
Parliament.
77. A Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament—
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
on the dissolution of Parliament next following his election; or
if he is elected Speaker of Parliament; or
if any other circumstances arise that if he were not a Member of Parliament would cause him to be
disqualified for election as such under section 76; or
if he ceases to be a citizen of Sierra Leone; or
if he is absent from sittings of Parliament for such period and in such circumstances as may be prescribed in
the rules of procedure of Parliament; or
if in the case of such a Member as is referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 74, he becomes
a Paramount Chief under any law; or
if he ceases to be qualified under any law to be registered as an elector for election of Members to
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