Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 3, 2017 – Months after two opposition parties in St. Kitts and Nevis wrote to Supervisor of Election, Mr. Elvin Bailey expressing concern over several irregularities in the electoral offices in Nevis and St. Kitts, Mr. Bailey boldly told the public on Friday he is yet to deal with those concerns or even responded to their letters.
“There have been issues raised in Nevis by the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP). You would recall that in late September, perhaps early October, there were some activity there, some demonstrations and so on. The Hon. Joseph Parry of course requested a meeting and when we tried to get all sides to sit together to hear what the issues surrounding what the electoral process was, one side decided not to attend and so the meeting was postponed or cancelled,” Mr. Bailey told WinnFM.
Mr. Bailey added that subsequent to that he has received letters from the Nevis Reformation Party “outlining what they call irregularities in the system.”
“I have received one as recently as the 27th of November and I have received letters from the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party saying that transfers and so on were not published since 2015. I have not yet responded to those claims of irregularities,” said Mr. Bailey, who added: “of course one would have to discuss those matters with the Electoral Commission and get their approval to respond and that has not happened, but we intend to do so.”
It is apparent that Mr. Bailey has no intention to address the issues raised by the Nevis Reformation Party and the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
For months the NRP had expressed concern overclandestine attempts to disenfranchise voters in Nevis ahead of the Nevis Island Assembly elections which will now be held on December 18.
NRP Leader Joseph Parry had written letters to Mr. Bailey requesting a meeting with him to discuss specific issues of concern, but Mr. Bailey suggested that representatives of the governing Concerned Citizens Movement attend the meeting at the same time.
The NRP also complained that their supporters were denied their fundamental right to register as voters by the Electoral Office in Nevis on the excuse that equipment was not working.
“Whether the equipment is working or not, we have a law that persons are to register. There is ongoing registration and there are people who are working in the Electoral Office who can take the information,” said Parry at the time.
NRP Senator Carlisle Powell has also accused registration officers of allowing persons to register illegally and other persons being removed from the Voters List.
The opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) also wrote to Mr. Bailey calling on him to publish forthwith all the Revised Monthly Lists of Voters that have become due for publication after February of 2015 and up to the current date.
The Labour Party also accused Mr. Bailey of illegally removing the names of Nigerian students, other Commonwealth citizens and nationals from the St. Kitts and Nevis Voters List in defiance of a high court ruling.
Photo: Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Elvin Bailey
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