Grenada: NNP denies it has flown in voters

Grenada’s New National Party (NNP) has dismissed allegations that it is engaged in chartering at least three aircraft to bring people from the United States to vote in the 13 March general election.

“This is absolutely untrue, we have not chartered any flight or flights,” said NNP campaign manager Roland Bhola.

“What I can say is that there are Grenadians who are registered as electors that are presently in different parts of the diaspora who are inquiring about the rules to confirm if they are qualified to vote.”

Bhola also admitted that the NNP has support groups in New York, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The leader of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Nazim Burke has warned of possible electoral corruption in the elections, saying that he had been reliably informed that persons were being brought here from the United States to cast ballots.

“We have been receiving very detailed plans of intentions to bring here into Grenada three chartered planes containing persons who are coming here... to vote in the upcoming elections,” he said.

“These persons brothers and sisters are coming primarily from the United States. We have already heard... that some of them are here and are living in a hotel.

“Our law makes it clear under Section 26 of our Representation of the People’s Law, it makes it absolutely clear, it is a crime to make a false statement and to tell somebody that you qualify to vote when you are not qualified to vote.

Law is ‘quite clear’

Burke added that the “only people who are qualified to vote in Grenada are people who are ordinarily resident to vote in one of our constituencies.

“Don’t let anybody suck you into any kind of confusion. Don’t let anybody lead you astray. We say to you take the ticket, take the free ride but don’t participate in any election.”

The Office of the Parliamentary Election Office (PEO) said that the law is quite clear on who are allowed to cast ballots in a general election here.

PEO Civic and Education Officer, Ferdinand Phillip, said that “section six of the act has the qualifying clauses and persons must know that in order to vote one first be registered and to register there are mandatory requirements and the law is our guide”.

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