St Kitts takes dual citizenship issue to parliament

03/07/2009 20:43:11

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PAM leader Lindsay Grant (left) and his deputy Shawn Richards say they now only have St Kitts citizenship, after giving up their US citizenship earlier this week.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, July 3, 2009 – The leader and deputy of St Kitts’ Opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) have given up their United States citizenship, ahead of legislation that goes to the parliament today to deal with the dual citizenship issue.

PAM political leader Lindsay Grant and Deputy Political Leader Shawn Richards said they took the oath of renunciation this week at the United States Embassy in Barbados.

But they claimed that while the ruling Labour Party administration was seeking to point fingers at PAM, two of its ministers have already acknowledged having dual citizenship and several others are rumoured to be in the same position.

The issue arises out of Section 27 of the country’s Constitution which suggests that naturalised citizens of foreign jurisdictions are barred from sitting in the St Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.

The National Assembly Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which gets its first reading today, will require a candidate seeking nomination to take an oath that he or does not hold dual citizenship. It also calls for proof of the renunciation of any other citizenship if dual nationality was held.

The proposed amendments also require a person who nominates a candidate for election to take an oath or affirmation that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the candidate does not possess dual citizenship.

The legislation also proposes the imposition of a fine, imprisonment, or both, as punishment for a candidate who provides false information relating to his or her citizenship, as well as for a voter who nominates a candidate for election and gives false information relating to the citizenship of that candidate.

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