ULP Demands Removal of Citizenship Bills From The Order Paper, Urges Government to Await Court Ruling.
The Unity Labour Party (ULP) strongly condemns the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration’s deceitful decision to return two controversial constitutional amendment bills to the parliamentary Order Paper for Thursday, 2nd July, 2026.
As seen on the Order Paper, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Amendment) Bill, 2026 have been listed for their first reading. This move comes less than three months after Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday paused the legislation following massive public backlash.
At that time, the Prime Minister explicitly promised the nation that his government would not proceed further until there was widespread public consultation with the people and debate. To date, absolutely no public consultations have taken place.
Reintroducing these self-serving bills to the Order Paper during the Carnival season, while the public is preoccupied, constitutes a flagrant breach of trust and an attempt by Dr. Friday and MP Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble to retroactively alter the 1979 Constitution to safeguard their political standing. As both individuals hold Canadian citizenship, active election petitions are currently challenging their legal eligibility to serve in Parliament under the disqualification clauses of the Constitution.
The ULP demands that the government immediately remove these bills from the Order Paper. We must not allow Parliament to become a tool for political self-preservation while bypassing the judiciary. The government must respect the separation of powers, uphold the rule of law, and allow the Court to decide on the election petitions without legislative interference.