BASSETTERE, St. Kitts, Mon. Feb. 9, 2015: Head of the Concerned Citizens Movement and Premier of the Island of Nevis, Hon. Vance Amory, is questioning why the country’ Elections Commission has failed to release the voters’ list even though federal election in St. Kitts/Nevis is now only a week away.
Amory said today that the voters’ list should have been released by the latest January 31, ahead of the February 16th election, but to date no list has been made available even though Nomination Day is now also past.
The Team Unity candidate said this is a strategic move by the Denzil Douglas controlled Elections Commission to trample further upon the democratic rights of voters in the Federation since the ‘delay and rule’ tactic now means there will be no objection period as required by law.
Amory, said voters should be outraged by this latest scheme by the government to retain power after 20 years of victimization. He said it is another blatant dictatorial move by the ruling party, which rushed through a bill through the parliament on January 16th to change the country’s electoral boundaries without any hearing or due process, to create chaos and confusion.
“This expired leader has gone too far. Electoral observers from the Organization of American States, CARICOM and the Commonwealth should urgently ask Douglas where the voters’ list for the February 16th election is and why there has been no time for objections.” Amory said, while calling upon Hesketh Benjamin, Chairman of the Electoral Commission to release the list now.
He added that the failure to publish a list is clearly a violation of the country’s electoral law and the implications now for the upcoming election is quite serious and disconcerting.
"In my view, Hesketh Benjamin is being very irresponsible in delaying the publication of the Voters List and we must hold them accountable, accountable for any breach of the law,” said Armory.
Under the country’s laws, the election list should have been produced at the end of December 2014. The Annual Voters List should be published ahead of the election to give political parties 10 days to file objections.
"We are quite shocked and dismayed to be advised by the Electoral Office on Nevis that no such list had been published or would be made available to us. The basis, it appears, is that they are suggesting that because of the boundaries and the proposed boundaries changes and our court challenges, the list cannot be published. That is abject and obvious nonsense and compromises the integrity of the election,” added Deputy Premier of Nevis’ ruling Concerned Citizens Movement and Team Unity candidate, Mark Brantley.
ABOUT CCM
The Concerned Citizens Movement Party was founded in 1986 after a series of preliminary meetings in Nevis in July 1986 & subsequently in St. Croix USVI later that year. The CCM Party was officially launched on January 15, 1987.
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