Source Real News: Leon Chaku Symister, the United Progressive Party (UPP) spokesperson onlegal matters, says any decision on voter-card validation is for the Antigua andBarbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) to make – and not for the primeminister. Symister was responding to statements made by Prime Minister GastonBrowne on the weekend, during an apparent discussion on the re-registrationof voters. After 10 years, the current voter-identification cards have expired; and theprecedent is that this would trigger a complete re-registration exercise.Earlier, Browne suggested that a renewal of the cards would be preferred.
However, the UPP was not in favour of such an alternative, noting that it pavesthe way for future fraud and for questionable voter transfers to stand.
Subsequently, the Cabinet agreed, stating that a complete re-registration wasa better option in order to maintain transparency and accountability, andABEC announced that this would commence in October 2024. However, in another of his now-usual changes of heart, Browne says theElectoral Commission is proposing a revalidation of the cards – whichreportedly would be a cheaper and easier undertaking than the more costly,lengthy, and painstaking re-registration exercise. Browne says that members of his Antigua Labour Party have met with ABECand stated that revalidation is its preference, since it does not wish to beaccused of disenfranchising anyone living in the Diaspora.
He notes that, inorder to be registered, citizens abroad would have to return home and spendat least one month in a constituency.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATS APP GROUP If, at present, there are cases in which some persons are not registered in thecorrect constituency – as has been suggested by members of the UPP – thenthis can be challenged during the re-validation exercise, Browne says. Symister recalls that, in March, the Electoral Commission announced that itwould undertake a complete re-registration exercise; hence, based on theprime minister’s pronouncements, he is not sure what is currently takingplace.
On Monday, May 13, a meeting of all the political parties and ABEC took place.The objective was to come to a final decision on the way forward: whether are-validation of the voter cards or a complete re-registration.
The outcome ofthis meeting is yet to be disclosed. Meanwhile, Symister says there is no clear-cut provision within the electorallaws regarding whether re-registration should be carried out every 10 years. However, he remembers that, leading up to the enactment of the law – whichis over two decades old – that discussion was held, and it was the rationalebehind the voter-ID cards having a 10-year lifespan.
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Accordingly, he says, this consideration was among other factors that led to acomplete re-registration in 2013-2014. Symister says the UPP believes that a re-registration would be the best routefor the sake of transparency.
The Party’s spokesperson says he does not know why the Commission isbacktracking on its earlier decision, but he suspects that Prime MinisterBrowne could have his hand in it.
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