Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 30, 2022 (SKNIS): A seven-member CARICOM election observer team is scheduled to arrive in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis from Monday, August 1, 2022, to observe the Federal elections which take place on August 5, 2022.
The CARICOM team will be led by Mr. Sase Gunraj of Guyana, the Chief of Mission. The team will comprise observers from Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname and Haiti.
Election observation/monitoring is a practice undertaken by an independent body that assesses the standards and therefore legitimacy of an election. It is important to note that observers do not intervene during an election, instead, they produce reports which are circulated to national governments and their related departments as well as being made publicly available displaying the issues found alongside recommendations for the future. All of the activities are approached from a completely non-partisan perspective, and observation focuses on the electoral strengths and weaknesses rather than being concerned with the political outcome of any particular vote. This allows observation organizations a degree of legitimacy in assessing an election which could not be gained from a national government which could have an inherent bias.
]]>Fellow citizens and residents,
His Excellency Sir S. W. Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, dissolved Parliament on May 10, 2022, thereby paving the way for the conduct of the 10th General Election on Friday, August 5, 2022. The necessary and appropriate steps have been taken to give effect to the Writ of Elections.
There are 11 electoral constituencies, and for each Constituency, a Returning Officer has been appointed as follows:-
Constituency 1: Jermaine Lake
Constituency 2: Rhyllis Percival
Constituency 3: Melvon Bassue
Constituency 4: Meguel Thomas
Constituency 5: William Vincent Hodge
Constituency 6: Edwin Warner
Constituency 7: Joycelyn Archibald Pennyfeather
Constituency 8: Phillip Browne
Constituency 9: Tricia Williams
Constituency 10: Kayno David
Constituency 11: Ermileta Elliott
We are confident that these officers will execute their duties professionally. They will be at the nomination sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to receive nominations as stipulated by law.
The nomination day has been set as Tuesday, July 26th, 2022. Consistent with the National Assembly Elections Act Cap 2.01, nominations for duly qualified candidates to contest this election will take place at the following places, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and will each be attended to by its Returning Officer. The nomination sites are:
Constituency 1: Police Training School,
Constituency 2: Mc Knight Community Centre
Constituency 3: St. Johnstons Community Centre
Constituency 4: Old Road Community Centre
Constituency 5: Sandy Point Community Centre
Constituency 6: Dieppe Bay Police Station
Constituency 7: Tabernacle Police Station
Constituency 8: St. Peters Community Centre
Constituency 9: Magistrate Court, Charlestown
Constituency 10: David Freeman Center of Excellence, Gingerland
Constituency 11: Newcastle Police Station
Candidates must be nominated by at least two registered voters of the constituency in which the candidate seeks election, subject to the conditions set out in section 62 of part IV the Act. In due course, an announcement will be made of the names of the candidates who have been nominated.
The Register of voters for this election will be provided shortly, and I will provide the breakdown in due course.
Be advised that some adjustments have had to be made to some of the polling stations. The sites of these stations will be made available soon and will be posted in the district, in the newspaper and online at www.legal.gov.kn. Please pay attention to ensure that you know where your polling station is. The information will also be displayed in the public domain, and at the Electoral offices in Charlestown and in Basseterre.
Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Any and all persons in line in the precinct of the polling station at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Anyone who comes in line after 6 p.m. will not be allowed to vote.
Persons whose National Identification cards have expired, persons who have misplaced or lost cards, and persons whose cards are being held by others, once they are properly registered, will still be able to vote upon presentation of any other form of government-issued picture identification. These can be a passport, driver’s license, or social security card. Other documents may be accepted, but the person will be required to take an oath. The Presiding Officers and agents of the candidates will also be equipped with picture lists to aid in the identification of voters.
Presiding Officers, Polling clerks and Tally clerks will be appointed and are mandated to undertake their assigned tasks without partiality, fear or favour. The Presiding Officers will be responsible for the maintenance of order at the polling stations. Voters are asked to pay special attention to the instructions of the Electoral Officers, in particular to those of the Presiding Officers and the conditions under which one’s vote will be inserted into the ballot box.
The law allows for persons, other than the electoral workers and agents, to be in the polling stations. Candidates are allowed to be present, but they are NOT allowed to spend more than five minutes together with their agent. The candidate is not allowed to wander into any and all polling stations, only to those stations in which he/she is a candidate. I am asking all candidates to respect this section of the law as it is written at Section 80 (1) in the National Assembly Election Act.
Presiding Officers will receive all election materials including ballot boxes in due course. The Ballot boxes will be displayed, inspected and secured before ballots are cast. At the close of the polls, boxes will be sealed and transported to the point of counting under armed guards and in the presence of appointed Party agents.
To this end, the political parties will be invited to appoint agents to witness all that goes on in the polling stations as well as at the count of the votes cast.
The ballots will be counted by the Returning Officers (with the assistance of a Designated Presiding Officer) at an appointed place in each constituency; the place will be shared with you later.
Results will be broadcast on radio and television stations and will be posted online. Eventually, a report will be placed at the public libraries.
I appeal to the public to pay attention to the Electoral Offences, all of which carry prison terms and fines. These too will be published.
I invite the public to join all electoral workers to ensure that the elections are peaceful and that each person gets one vote in the right place. All eligible voters, duly registered, are urged to exercise their franchise by voting on polling day. If you are not registered, do not attempt to vote, and do not impersonate a voter.
The public is reminded that COVID-19 Regulations still exist and will be in place.
Thank you for your attention and may God continue to bless us all.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 5 2022 (PAM) — Shawn Richards, Political Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) shared a snapshot of his party’s post-election plans on the 6th edition of The Movement on Winn FM. General Elections are due in St. Kitts & Nevis on or before August 8th, 2022. As his party’s first order of priority, he has stated among other things, that a brand-new hospital will be built. Making a strong case for the building of a new healthcare facility, he said that many persons have recently complained about their experience while at the hospital. Beyond the complaints, however, he opined that the people of St Kitts & Nevis deserve modern healthcare facilities against the backdrop of a thriving CBI programme. “It is our intention to build a new hospital; to improve the number of services that are offered to persons and ensure that the quality of the service received is enhanced,” he explained.
In line with building a modern hospital, is the need for access to national health insurance. “We pledge to bring that to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he promised. The issue of national health insurance was first discussed several years ago, but to date, it has not been operationalized. “I know of senior citizens who in the prime of their lives are burdened with medical bills. This cannot be acceptable in a St. Kitts & Nevis that I will lead,” said a passionate Richards.
Plans for unemployment were also itemized, with a strong emphasis on young people interested in the digital economy. He promised that more jobs would be made available in that sector and that his government will put the necessary infrastructure in place to empower the bright, young people who have expressed interest in that sector. “We must show our young people that we care, and we understand their needs. The young people must be assured that at the heart of our policies are their concerns and not the building of a 2.4-billion-dollar prison to incarcerate them,” he declared.
He gave his party’s commitment to building 1000 homes in the next 5 years in an attempt to satisfy this area of high demand. He said everywhere he went to the canvas, he was bombarded by stories of families who were living in challenging spaces or people who were tired of paying rent and wanted to own their own homes. Asked about the plan for distributing these homes he assured: “these homes will be distributed based on need, hence whether you are a supporter of the party or not as long as there is a felt need for the house you will be given one.”
As the construction of houses spurs economic activity, he listed a number of other opportunities that can come from the construction of homes – the purchase of furniture and appliances, hardware items, lawn care and garden services and so on.
Agriculture and food security were also high on his party’s agenda. He shared an idea where the men on the parks and beaches programme can be assigned to a few acres of land that they can farm and sell the produce and share in the profits.
He consistently lamented prioritizing the building of a $2.4B prison at a time when health care, unemployment and other pressing issues ought to have been given precedence. In responding to a question about the recent closure of a factory on the Industrial Site that would displace dozens of women, he questioned the custodian government: What are you doing to provide hope for them? Can you imagine these single-parent mothers waking up in despair and wondering how will I feed my children when a $2.4 billion dollar prison is being built for the benefit of a few families?
He added rhetorically: “Are these children supposed to go home to empty fridges and cupboards while a few families are profiting from a multi-billion-dollar project?”
When the programme wrapped up, a confident Shawn, expressed his intention to win the Constituency #5 seat even with added competitors for this election cycle. He stated that in 2004 when he first contested the seat, he came up against the incumbent who had access to the state’s resources, yet he prevailed. Shawn Richards has been the incumbent of Constituency #5 since then.
]]>Basseterre, Monday, 4th July 2022 (PAM PR): The People’s Action Movement, (PAM), is scheduled to officially launch its national election campaign on Wednesday, 6th July, during a rally slated for Central Basseterre.
The event, which is being dubbed, “Campaign Lift Off”, will feature presentations from all eight (8) candidates, led by National Political Leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Shawn K. Richards.
Other highlights will include performances from top local and overseas artists, including Farmer Nappy, Motto, Dejour, Rucus H.E., Kollision Band, and Zu.
Farmer Nappy is well known for hit songs like Back Yard Jam, Big People Party, and Hooking Meh. Supporters attending Wednesday’s PAM campaign launch will also be thrilled by the powerful hits from Motto, including One Woman, Party Lit, and Big Ride.
Also included in the lineup for Wednesday is the top Kittitian DJ and entertainer, Tero.
Richards has described Wednesday’s launch as a critical step forward to signal PAM’s strong resolve to reclaim the country’s dignity and to lift the current burden that is weighing down the people of St. Kitts & Nevis.
Richards revealed he and his capable team of candidates will expose many of the wrongs of the illegal regime of Dr. Timothy Harris, which continues to use and abuse the financial and other resources of the government to advance the outgoing PM’s narrow vindictive, and corrupt practices.
The PAM leader said that Harris is afraid to call the date for the election because he is very fearful of the outcome, knowing that after the poll, he will not return to the seat of power.
Richards reminded the people of St. Kitts & Nevis that there is only one certain thing about the coming election, and that is Timothy Harris after the first week of August, will no longer be prime minister.
“Once again Harris has allowed time to run out on him and he has backed himself into a corner with the clock ticking and the end of the 90 days fast approaching before the poll must be held,” stated a confident Richards.
Richards said that his party will wait no longer and that PAM will ring the bell and may even announce its own date for Election Day.
The PAM leader indicated that the PAM and CCM alliance represents the best hope for the people of St. Kitts & Nevis.
PAM, along with CCM is the best chance that St. Kitts & Nevis has for the continued stability and continuity, and progress of the country, stated Richards.
The campaign launch will be held at the corner of Central Street and Sprott Street, starting at 6:30 pm.
]]>Charlestown, Nevis, June 13, 2022 (NIA) – Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Finance in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), has set the record straight by giving an account of how the NIA has put the $400 million in revenue from St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship By Investment (CBI) program to use on the island.
Highlighting that 93 per cent of CBI monies have been kept in St. Kitts while only seven per cent has been allocated to Nevis, Premier Brantley outlined dozens of projects and expenditures undertaken on Nevis over the past seven years.
“My government is transparent and open so let us start from the fact that the under $400 million was received not at one time but over the course of seven years. That means that Nevis received roughly $57 million per year.
“Salaries and pensions for public servants in Nevis average $8.5 million per month or $102 million per year. During COVID we applied all of CBI receipts to salaries and pensions but still had to find another $45 million to do so. Put differently, the paltry seven per cent could not even cover our civil servants and pensioners. In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 double salaries were paid to public servants and workers at statutory corporations. Those amounts totalling roughly $61,200,000 were paid from the same $400 million.
The Premier continued, “We expanded our road network with major projects at Hanley’s Road, Braziers, Brown Hill, Butlers, Shaws Road, Farms, Island Main Road to name a few; we built the IAAF-certified Mondo track; we also refurbished the drag race track; we built the new landmark Treasury Building in Charlestown; we built the water taxi pier at Oualie which has revolutionized travel between St. Kitts and Nevis; we are engaged in the ongoing expansion at the Alexandra Hospital, an expansion 2.5 times the size of the existing hospital; we purchased new ambulances, ventilators, generators and other critical equipment for our health sector; we deployed CCTV island-wide and constructed a state-of-the-art CCTV Command Center; we built a brand new police and fire station at New Castle.
“We provided the cultural venue, Arthur Freeman Center of Excellence, at Market Shop where we hosted Culturama last year; we purchased several generating sets at NEVLEC to ensure that we all now enjoy better electricity; we provided emergency medical assistance totalling $3.56 million to our people since 2015; we established a $5 million fund to provide seed money to assist youth and women, we serviced our debt; and we provided support to our statutory corporations.”
Other projects include the expansion of the NIA’s affordable housing programme, construction of the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) center in Gingerland, rebuilding of the Tender Pier in Charlestown, resurfacing of the runway and upgrading of equipment at the Tower at the Vance Amory International Airport, funding the exploratory phase of the geothermal project with the drilling of test wells at Hamilton, building a brand new Cultural Village and improving the Cultural Complex, construction of the Artisan Village, and undertaking the most ambitious water enhancement project in the history of Nevis incorporating new water mains, new storage tanks and a treatment plant at Hamilton.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, which decimated government revenue, the NIA provided the resources to offer relief on water and electricity and stimulus to businesses and farmers, to increase NIA social safety nets to ensure persons could purchase food and other necessities, and to upgrade and outfit all schools to make them COVID-compliant.
The Premier stated that these and the myriad of other projects and expenditures over the past several years have ensured the advancement of Nevis’ economic development and the improvement of life for citizens and residents.
He emphasized that he will continue to agitate at the highest level for Nevis and Nevisians to get their fair share of the fruits of national resources.
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