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Concerns Surrounding Electoral Office Operations Still Buzzing

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BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Thursday 4th June 2020) –Hours before the 2020 General Elections in St.Kitts-Nevis slated for Friday 5th June 2020, issues surrounding the operations of the Electoral Office continue to be debated publicly from frustrated registered voters seeking information and other Salike to top officials.

Opposition representative of the Electoral Commission Jason Hamilton, a former attorney general, spoke with WINNFM on Wednesday 3rd June 2020 on such topic hours before the official polling station details were issued citing interference from higher authority.

“This is Wednesday and there has not been a list produced yet that indicates where the polling stations for this elections will be held and that is because there has been some level of interference by the executive halting the Supervisor of Elections in preparations of the necessary work to facilitate an election when he would have started that process as early as about January of 2020.”

When questioned about it, he had this to say: “On the report of the Supervisor [Elvin Bailey], it was felt that any kind of preparatory work would give the impression that an election was imminent. That is his report to the commissione which he is supposed to do but certainly the bigger picture on that the constitution specifically states the only authority that can direct the Supervisor of Elections is the Commission.”

Hamilton added: “However, we have a situation where for example where the Supervisor of Elections would have prepared a list of persons to be returning officers. He would have vetted the persons, he would have interviewed the persons, he would have had training sessions with the persons. That list disappeared in the sense that none of the persons who were selected-and that list was voted on by the Commission- and then a new list is presented with returning officers none of whom were selected by the Supervisor. The national Assembly Elections Act specifically says the Governor General appoints on advice of the Supervisor of Elections so unless the Supervisor is going to say that he recommended a set of persons he’s never spoken with, never interviewed in the process then it means some other level or arm or administrative body is directing the supervisor of elections on what to do.”

Opposition Leader of the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Dr. Denzil Douglas, in speaking at a live press conference that same day addressed the “undermining of the free and fair conduct of the elections here in St.Kitts and Nevis pertaining to the upcoming general elections on Friday…”

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