January 25 date set for next general elections

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-FEDERAL elections have finally been called for St. Kitts-Nevis, with January 15 set as Nomination Day and elections to be held ten days later on January 25.

The announcement was made last night (Jan. 7) by Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas at a meeting of the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party in East Basseterre.

Flanked by a throng of bell-holding youths, Douglas’ declaration was greeted by loud celebration from the large group of Labour Party supporters, approximately 3000, in attendance at Baker’s Corner.

“The bells are the signal,” the Prime Minister said to the dancing crowd, “asking you to find your class because school call in!”

“In accordance with the Writs issued by His Excellency the Governor General, Nomination Day shall be on Friday, 15th January 2010 and General Elections shall be held on Monday, 25th January 2010,” he added.

The announcement came after months of heated debate and lengthy court battles between the nation’s political parties over constituency boundaries had delayed the calling of general elections.

Tensions over when elections would be called were ratcheted up last month when the Prime Minister officially dissolved Parliament on December 15, mere hours before it would have happened automatically by constitutional mandate.

During last night’s speech, Douglas urged every citizen in the country to facilitate in carrying out “peaceful and harmonious” elections that would be free and fair.

He also took time to outline advancements made under the past 15 years of government rule by the Labour Party and asserted that another term in office would be necessary to guide the nation into the next decade.

Currently the Labour Party controls seven of eight seats in St. Kitts, while the People’s Action Movement holds a single seat in Constituency #5.

Two of three seats in Nevis are held by the Concerned Citizen’s Movement, while the other is held by the Nevis Reformation Party.

Representatives from the Organisation of American States, the Commonwealth and Caricom are expected to oversee the elections later this month.