Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives staged a dramatic walkout from plenary during deliberations on the Electoral Act amendment bill.
The lawmakers left the chamber after their proposal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, without allowing manual collation as a fallback in cases of technological failure, was not adopted. They argued that removing manual backup would strengthen transparency and prevent manipulation of results.
However, the majority position retained manual collation as a safeguard where electronic transmission fails due to network or technical challenges, a move the opposition strongly opposed.