Our voting system belongs to a Banana Republic, not the Mother of Parliaments

It's time to see the end of the failing Electoral Commission

UKIP leader Nigel Farage today called for the abolition and replacement of the Electoral Commission. He was speaking at the party's South West Spring Conference in Torquay when he made his demand. "The Electoral Commission is failing in all its key duties" he said. "It has allowed the electoral register to shrink at a time of rising population. It has sanctioned joke and spoiler parties, which only last year had a material impact on the outcome of the European Elections, costing UKIP at least two seats. The Electoral Commission's creation was brought about to stop exactly these sorts of issues and ensure the transparent and proper operation of democracy. It has acted in a seemingly partial way when it comes to electoral donations, letting the Liberal Democrats get away with a £2.4m gift from a criminal, whilst chasing UKIP through the Supreme Court over an administrative oversight. "And it has presided over wholesale and avoidable fraud in the postal voting system, skewing results in many seats across the country and permitting intimidation of voters and the distortion of electoral outcomes. These are the sorts of democratic failings that would make even a banana republic blush. "Yes, it is true that many of these impacts are specifically targeted at UKIP, but that is neither here nor there. "It is a failed and deeply unaccountable institution and needs to be completely removed and replaced."