BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 3rd July 2020) –The Deputy Leader of the Opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Marcella Liburd, has pointed to immediate former elected government minister Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd high court filing regarding issues of the 2020 elections which gives backup to the SKNLP’s own move to have concerns addressed via the court system too.
“Elections must be free and fair. I don’t think that there is anybody in this country who would say that these elections were free and fair! If you want to know if the elections were a travesty, look at ‘Patches’ coming to say that there were irregularities. They appointed all of the workers…and ‘Patches’ come to say that there were irregularities …imagine that!”
She was at the time making remarks following the party’s election petition filing on Friday 26th June speaking outside the courthouse on East Independence Square Street in Basseterre, one day after (Ian) Liburd of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) in Constituency One did his petition filing on Thursday 25th June.
Meanwhile, Marcella Liburd’s remarks that day came about whilst adding to comments by Party Chairman Dr. Terrance Drew who said: “Today, the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has made a step. This step is not just for partisan reasons but it really deals with the democracy of St.Kitts and Nevis. What took place in the last elections was a travesty and I don’t think that as a people and a country that we should accept it and that is why we are filing election petitions today…six of them so that people can understand exactly what took place.”
In thanking party supporters on behalf of the political organisation, he noted that “the fact that you all have come out is a demonstration that you all understand that in the last election, a lot of wrong things happened; a lot of irregularities and illegalities.”
Dr. Drew continued: “The fact that the lists were messed with, the fact that they had the Electoral Office closed down during the week of elections, the fact that people didn’t even know which station would vote at, and so we see a lot of irregularities and illegalities taking placing during the last election and we are saying to our people that we will not accept that and that is why we are here today. So these cases will be heard and the truth will be sounded.”
Following the Friday 5th June general elections, SKNLP newcomer Dr. Geoffrey Hanley beat incumbent (Ian) Liburd by 24 votes with 1658 to 1634 according to the official results.
Liburd had expressed being “totally dissatisfied”; sharing sentiments via his radio talk show programme early on about plans to challenge the matter based irregularities reports he had received.
“…I strongly believe the politics of St.Kitts and Nevis must take place in a framework of a true federal parliament democracy” he said during an episode after his courthouse visit whilst making allegations in talking about “those opposite” implying that he has been robbed of his seat.
In the election petition, he is challenging the 98 rejected ballots with claims that the majority of voters showed intent to choose him.
Liburd is also making claims about Dr. Hanley’s non eligibility to stand as the parliamentary representative because of dual citizenship status.
Days leading up to the general elections after being nominated on Wednesday 27th June, however, Dr. Hanley, during a live broadcast event, had dismissed rumors that he had US citizenship by showing his St.Kitts-Nevis passport with a US Visitor’s Visa.