What happens when members of an original political party opt not to accept the merger and choose to function as a separate group?
When members of an original political party opt not to accept the merger and choose to function as a separate group, they are not disqualified under sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 2. They shall be deemed to belong to the new political party or the separate group formed due to the merger for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 2 and their original political party for the purposes of this sub-paragraph.