Hone Harawira has applied for a judicial re-count in Te Tai Tokerau electorate for the 2014 Election.
After serving three terms as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Harawira lost the seat to Labour’s Kelvin Davis by a margin of just over 1100 in the election this year.
In a statement released today, MANA claimed there are a number of serious issues of concern regarding the ability of Māori voters to exercise their basic democratic right to vote.
MANA President Lisa McNab says, "We want to ensure that the votes of the people in his electorate are counted to the full extent possible. We are especially concerned about the rejection of special votes because voters could not be found on the electoral roll prepared for the 2014 General Election.”
The statement goes on to say a specific request has been made for the assigned judge to look, not only at the actual votes, but also the basis on which special votes were rejected due to the enrolment status of the voter.
She says, “Irrespective of whether the recount changes the result of the election in Te Tai Tokerau, these issues need to be independently examined and substantial improvements made ahead of the next election to ensure our people’s basic rights are respected and their participation in the democratic process is encouraged and affirmed.”