s 52 Alternate authority for election period
52.—(1) For the purposes of sections 16, 28, 32(1) and (8), 33, 34, 43, 47(2) and 54, a reference to the Minister during an election period is a reference to the alternate authority appointed by the Minister. (2) For the purposes of sections 10, 19, 20, 24(4), 31, 40 and 46, a reference to any Minister during an election period is a reference to the alternate authority appointed by the respective Minister. (3) The alternate authority is a public officer appointed by the Minister or any Minister (as the case may be) before the start of any election period. (4) Notice of every appointment of an alternate authority must be published in the Gazette before it takes effect. (5) No appointment of an alternate authority may be made during any election period. (6) The powers of the Minister under the sections mentioned in subsection (1) and the powers of any Minister under the sections mentioned in subsection (2) —(a) cease, during an election period, to be exercisable by the respective Minister; and (b) may, during an election period, be exercised by the alternate authority appointed by the respective Minister. (7) In this section and section 53, “election period” means the period beginning with the day a writ of election is issued under section 24 of the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 for the purposes of a general election of Members of Parliament and ending with the close of polling day at that election.