I have carefully weighed all of the suggestions that have been made to me thus far. The authority to adapt the legislation should only be exercised under exceptional circumstances. I have the power to amend legislation, even though it may have been adopted a certain way by Parliament. However, if you read subsection 17(1) of the act, you will note that this power must be exercised only under exceptional circumstances. You will also note that generally speaking, pursuant to subsection 17(1), any adaptation measures that may be taken should be aimed at facilitating the voting process.
In this particular instance, I'm being asked to restrict or compel electors to choose between two fundamental rights granted to them by our Constitution. In my opinion, it is not up to an officer of Parliament to make this choice. I urge Parliament to review the provisions of the act without delay, to examine the legislation after hearing from members of the public and from stakeholders and from making those amendments it deems appropriate.