Article 49 — Voting at Elections and Referenda

(1) At any public election or referendum, voting sh all be by secret ballot. (2) Immediately after the close of the poll, the pr esiding officer shall, in the presence of such of the candidates or their representatives and thei r polling agents as are present, proceed to count, at that polling station, the ballot papers o f that station and record the votes cast in favour of each candidate or question. (3) The presiding officer, the candidates or their representatives and, in the case of a referendum, the parties contesting or their agents and the polling agents if any, shall then sign a declaration stating— (a) the polling station; and (b) the number of votes cast in favour of each cand idate or question; and the presiding officer shall, there and then, an nounce the results of the voting at that polling station before communicating them to the re turning officer. (4) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, an issue for determination by referendum shall not be taken to be determined unless at least thirty-five percent of the persons entitled to vote at the referendum voted and, of the votes cast , at least seventy percent voted in favour of the issue.