Part 2: the Chief Electoral Officer
Section 8: Tenure
47.This section adjusts the terms of appointment of the CEO. Its provisions state that the appointment can be for a term of up to 5 years and that no person may hold the post for more than 10 years. The section also sets out clear criteria for dismissal in line with similar posts.
48.Subsection (6) deals with the position of an incumbent when the provision comes into force. For the incumbent the five and ten year periods run from the date of commencement of the section, rather than from the date of appointment.
Section 9: Annual reports
49.This section imposes a statutory duty on the CEO to prepare and present an annual report to the Secretary of State on how he has discharged his functions in the year to which the report relates. The report will also include an assessment of the extent to which the relevant registration objectives have been met (see section 4 of the Act for the relevant registration objectives).
50.The report must be made by a date to be set by the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State must lay a copy of the report before Parliament.
