Correct action by the Tax Inspector on the basis of an opinion of the Attorney General, says the Administrative Court
The Administrative Court, in today's decision, upheld the decision of the Registrar of the Register of Political Parties to withdraw the registration of a party under the name 'Independents-Revolutionary Alliance' in the Register of Political Parties, having agreed with the content of the Advocate General's opinion to the Registrar on the "confusion that may be caused to the average prudent citizen, and by extension in the public interest, by the use of the word 'ndependents' in the name of a political party", as the Court itself states.
In particular, the Court, agreeing with the position of the Legal Service, concluded that there is a clear distinction in the possible combinations of candidates other than individual candidates, since candidates may be combinations of a party, combinations of several parties and combinations of independents, and therefore there is no possibility in law of combining a party with independents.
The Court also ruled that in the present case a concept was added to the name of a political party, which etymologically refers to a person outside the party, and the name of the political party itself violated the Electoral Law as regards the possibility of candidates forming combinations. Further, the Court concluded that the Registrar exercised the power he ought to have exercised by revoking an act that was in essence defective and unlawful, even giving the petitioners alternatives and options to amend the name of the party before the deadline for filing nominations.
The decision of the Administrative Court is considered to be of particular importance as it confirms opinions of the Legal Service on the interpretation of critical provisions of both the Law on Election of Members of the House of Representatives and the Law on Political Parties.
The case was handled on behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic by Ms Gianna Hadjihanna, Senior Advocate of the Republic and Mr Simos Platis, Advocate of the Republic.
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