BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH General Elections 2022 just over a week away, Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Dr. Terrance Drew is calling on Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris to invite Observer Missions to monitor the polls.
No word has yet been forthcoming from the Government on whether an invitation was sent for Observer Missions to monitor the elections.
In 2020, the last year of General Elections, an Observer Mission was mounted to St. Kitts and Nevis from CARICOM upon the invitation of the Prime Minister.
Dr. Drew expressed his disappointment with the silence from the Prime Minister on the topic.
“One of the things I am very concerned about to date, the Prime Minister has not called for observers. I have written to a number of regional and international organizations who are known to be observers of elections,” Drew told reporters after being nominated yesterday (Jul. 26).
The media were pressed to ask the Prime Minister why no public invitation was sent out.
Since the dissolution of the National Assembly, the opposition parties have been very critical of Dr. Harris and the way he handled the announcement of a date for the General Elections. But all of his decisions were made within the confines of the laws of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Drew has been one of the most vocal critics of Dr. Harris, and he is not backing down, pointing out that “we will not accept an election without observers”.
Chesley Hamilton, the People’s Action Movement’s candidate for Constituency Eight, also expressed disappointment and concern at the silence of observers to monitor the elections.
“I am concerned! But the electoral system needs changing. Not bringing them in on elections day! But we need an independent system so that these people could be on the ground from day one,” added Hamilton.
The General Elections are scheduled for August 5 and it will see more than 30 candidates vying for 11 seats at the Federal level.
