Union Island Electorate in the Spotlight
St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says that the matter of voter registration and polling locations falls under the jurisdiction of the supervisor of elections. Gonsalves was addressing the current discourse surrounding the electorate of Union Island.
At the outset of this month, opposition leader Godwin Friday expressed his party’s commitment to facilitating the participation of Southern Grenadines residents in the electoral process within their constituency, as the upcoming elections are keenly anticipated by December 2025.
During his recent visit to Union Island, Gonsalves remarked that individuals who find the process unsatisfactory have the option to contest the issue in court.
“There are rules as to where you can vote, where you can be registered to vote. And those will be followed by the supervisor of elections and anybody who wants to challenge what her judgement is on this, can challenge it within the framework of the law.”
“I understand that the supervisor of elections is dealing with it in a very practical way. And within the four walls of the representation of the peoples act, she will talk to the country about that.”
“I would wish that all the persons who came up to the mainland will come back down, but that’s not going to happen” It’s just not going to happen”, Gonsalves said.
“Some persons who move up there and work up there at the time of elections and they’re registered down here and vote down here; they just have to come down. In the same way that workers in Mustique or Canouan from my constituency or in North Leeward, they get transported and come up to vote.”
In his weekly column ‘Plain Talk’, lawyer Jomo Thomas articulated that, in conjunction with a vote of no confidence directed at the current regime, it is imperative to initiate a constitutional motion that scrutinises the government’s proposed approach to the forthcoming general elections.
“The constituencies to watch are North Windward and Southern Grenadines. North Windward may witness a massive shift in voters from North Central Windward. But the Southern Grenadines is the constituency where a monumental constitutional travesty is about to occur.”
“Many masons, carpenters, and labourers were enlisted to rebuild and rehabilitate the Southern Grenadines. According to the Supervisor of Elections, they will be allowed to vote there”, Thomas opined.
In an interview with the API, Gonsalves noted that there exist individuals who exhibit a lack of maturity and do not possess the requisite knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to grasp these matters fully.
“They become alarmists. There’s nothing to be alarmed about; there are processes and procedures for all these things to be sorted out within the framework and with practical consequences.”
Gonsalves conveyed his assurance that the supervisor of elections and her team will address the issue appropriately, and he holds a firm belief in their capabilities.
