Losing candidates of winning SKNLP go to court

Medical practitioner Dr Norgen Wilson and former parliamentarian Cedric Liburd (pictured above) are challenging Shawn Richards and Eugene Hamilton respectively.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, February 8, 2010 – The two unsuccessful St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) candidates have lodged petitions in the High Court challenging the return of their People’s Action Movement (PAM) opponents in the January 25th general elections.

Medical practitioner Dr Norgen Wilson and former parliamentarian Cedric Liburd are challenging Shawn Richards and Eugene Hamilton respectively.

They are arguing that the victories of both PAM candidates should be declared invalid, null and void and of no legal effect because on Nomination Day, January 25th, they were not qualified to run for office.

Dr Wilson and Hamilton were the only of the eight SKNLP who did not win their seats in the January poll.

Meantime, another one of the overseas missions observing the election – the Organisation of American States (OAS) – has contended that the poll took place in a calm and dignified atmosphere.

“From all indications, the people of St Kitts and Nevis were able to exercise their civic responsibility in a free manner and voting took place in a calm and dignified atmosphere. This is a tribute to the culture of democracy for which your country and the rest of the CARICOM Caribbean countries are well known,” said the OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza.

CARICOM and Commonwealth also sent observer missions for the elections.
 
The six-member CARICOM team has already issued a preliminary statement in which it said that “voters in St Kitts and Nevis were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or harassment which augured well for the conduct of an orderly and peaceful election” and the counting of the ballots was “conducted in a transparent manner in that all stakeholders and observers: local, regional, and international were given approval to witness the count”.
 
However, it said there were concerns about certain aspects of the election process which will be addressed in the full report on its findings and recommendations which will be submitted to the CARICOM Secretary-General.