SKNLP FILES ELECTION PETITIONS

Sourced: St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party

Today, Friday, June 26, 2020 the Labour Party has filed legal documents at the High Court to support Election Petitions challenging the outcome of the elections for Constituencies, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8. Over the last few weeks since the close of polls on June 5, 2020, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour party has undertaken a rigorous process to compile and document the glaring irregularities and illegalities that took place amidst the chaos and confusion that characterized the voting process in several constituencies across St. Kitts.

After thorough analysis of the data as well as documenting detailed eye-witness accounts and the observations of both its Inside and Outside polling agents, the Labour Party’s initial suspicion that something was grossly amiss with the election results, has been borne out by the facts and evidence.  Such evidence uncovers a complex land-for-votes scheme conducted through the Ministry of Sustainable Development operated by activist government officials on behalf of the Prime Minister, Dr. Timothy Harris, to secure a second victory for the Team Unity regime.

The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Political Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party in a statement delivered on June 8, 2020 stated that he was “deeply disturbed that the [victory] for the Labour Party has been hijacked in large measure by the many irregularities and anomalies that took place in our electoral and voting processes in the years, months, weeks and days leading to the general election.  It is for these reasons that I cannot in good conscience concede the election as being free, fair and free from fear” and vowed to vigorously pursue court action challenging the election results. 

The St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party Candidates supported by fellow comrades after filing the petitions at the Sir Lee Moore Legal and Judicial Complex.

Speaking on the steps of the Sir Lee L. Moore Legal and Judicial Complex, Dr. Denzil Douglas, flanked by the seven NextGen candidates, addressed the jubilant crowd gathered.

“Thank you for coming out here my people to witness the petition that are being filed by six members of the NextGen SKN team, who believe with evidence from the electorate, that they have been cheated out of their place in Parliament…As promised in my previous statement a few days following the Election, we have compiled the reports of our Inside and Outside Agents who monitored the voting process on election day. Our Agents’ reports indicate that there has been massive cheating during the conduct of the election.  A lot of cheating took place.  The officials for the government as you would know were family members of most of the candidates, this is against the law.  They did not represent, in our opinion, the opposing candidates from the Labour Party in the same way that they represented the government candidates in terms of demonstrating how to vote. We have found from the evidence that there was massive corruption.  There was inducement, bribery, bribery in a massive way, using assets of the government, assets belonging to you the people being used to bribe the electorate, the voters,” Douglas stated.    

“These are serious matters that we believe could have affected the outcome of the election and thus we are asking the court to look at the evidence, look at the petitions of our candidates and determine whether or not those who were returned were fairly and justifiably returned, and if not, quash the returns of the Returning Officer and if we do not have our candidates appointed instead, then we would have a new election So today, we say to you the people, that the government headed by Harris is illegal, it is illegitimate, so we are asking for new elections, fair elections to elect the members of our Parliament. We also want to make it clear, that there were really no serious observers during the elections, they did not want any proper international election observers used…So the elections were fraudulent, the government is illegal and we want fresh elections in this country,” he concluded.