New procedures to ensure that political candidates obey electoral laws are being put forward by Opposition MP Walton Brown.The Shadow Education Minister said he was spurred into action after recent elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands developed into farce.The territory went to the polls last November, electing a total of 15 MPs.Six by-elections may now have to be held after questions were raised over whether some MPs had declared their interests in government contracts before the ballot.Mr Brown described the situation in Turks and Caicos as “instructive”, pointing out that Bermuda has similar declaration of interest rules.“My concern is that we take our election laws seriously and be seen to be doing as much,” Mr Brown said.“This is critical so that we remain a strong democracy and have integrity in our electoral process.“To this end, I have initiated discussions with the Speaker of the House of Assembly to identify a process by which we can ensure without question that Members of Parliament are fully compliant with our election laws.“I am hopeful we will have some movement on this soon as Parliament is the best vehicle for making this determination.“Alternatively, given our current constitutional status, there is the option of appealing to the Governor for the establishment of a framework for assessing these issues.”In the run-up to last December’s general election, the then-ruling Progressive Labour Party questioned whether Opposition One Bermuda Alliance candidates Bob Richards and Jeff Sousa should be allowed to run for election, claiming that neither man had declared their business interests.“We are gravely concerned that the OBA has not acted as the law requires and published its members’ interests in a local newspaper,” party chairman Anthony Santucci said on the eve of the December 17 election.Under the Bermuda Constitution, candidates will be disqualified from standing as an MP if they fail to make public any interest they may hold in a government contract.After taking legal advice, the OBA dismissed the allegation, and both Mr Richards and Mr Sousa went on to win their seats.