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Death of or delay by a petitioner.
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51.—(1) The following provisions shall apply and have effect in relation to a referendum petition presented by a person other than the Director of Public Prosecutions:
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(a) where the sole or the last surviving petitioner dies at any time before the final order of the court on the trial of the petition, the court shall transfer the carriage of the petition to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and thereupon all subsequent proceedings on the petition shall be conducted as if the petition were a petition presented by the Director of Public Prosecutions;
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(b) if the petitioner fails to proceed with reasonable speed with the proceedings on the petition, the court may, on the application of the Director of Public Prosecutions, either forthwith make a final order confirming without alteration the provisional referendum certificate which was the subject of the petition or transfer the carriage of the petition to the Director.
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(2) Nothing in this section shall operate to prevent the court ordering the costs or any part of the costs of the proceedings in relation to the referendum petition to be paid out of or by means of the security for costs given by a deceased petitioner or by a petitioner who has failed to proceed with reasonable speed.
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