BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), having participated in the July 4 nomination process for the upcoming local elections, will each be fielding five candidates to contest available seats for the Nevis Island Assembly (NIA).
In Nevis Constituency No. 1 (St. Paul), NRP’s Robelto Hector and CCM’s Michael Perkins will be in contest while in Nevis Constituency No. 2 (St. Johns), CCM’s Mark Brantley will be in contest with the NRP’s Hensley Daniel.
Leader of the CCM Vance Amory will be challenging NRP’s Patricia Hanley in the Nevis No. 3 Constituency (St. George) and Alexis Jeffers of the Concerned Citizens Movement and NRP’s Patrice Nisbett - Attorney General in the Federal Government - will be contesting for the Constituency No. 4 (St. James) seat.
To represent the No. 5 Constituency (St. Thomas) in the Nevis Island Administration, Keith ‘Dis ‘N’ Dat’ Scarborough of the CCM will go up against the incumbent Premier and Leader of the NRP, Joseph Parry.
According to the Supervisor of Elections, Leroy Benjamin Sr., who made a live simulcast to the nation on radio and television last evening (July 5), the number of registered voters equals 9 300.
He informed that the allotted votes for Constituency No. 1 is 1 827, 3 261 for Constituency No. 2, 1 281 for Constituency No. 3, 1 942 for Constituency No. 4 and 944 for Constituency No.5.
The polling battle of the Blue (CCM) and the Green (NRP) commences promptly at 7:00 on the morning of July 11 and will run until 6:00 that evening.
The Supervisor of Elections advised that persons who do not join the queues prior to 6:00 p.m. would not be allowed to vote, while those who would have complied would be eligible.
This election is overshadowed by clouds of controversy with the CCM alleging that hundreds of names were unconstitutionally removed from the Voters’ List.
Amory has expressed his fear that many persons, by their names being removed from the list, would be disenfranchised and that on polling day the will of the people might not come to fruition.
Nonetheless, both parties have expressed some confidence that they would see success at the polls.
Voters have just about one week to familiarise themselves with the candidates before electing the government which will serve them for the ensuing five years.
