Locals confused over constituency boundaries issue in St Kitts and Nevis

General public of twin-island nation St Kitts and Nevis are in confusion over their constituency as they are not aware of which parliamentary boundary category they fall under.

Deviations of constituency boundaries have been a fire issue in the nation as in the year 2015, the Former Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas called emergency parliament and introduced amendments in constituency boundaries across SKN. However, later the matter was taken to London-based Privy Council, which had ordered the cancellation of amendments in the previous boundary law as elections were on the toes.

Nevertheless, in the 2015 general elections, the three-party alliance of 'Team Unity' had a victory and Dr Douglas, and his party was put off the government. After coming into power, the government of 'team unity' never considered the issue of boundaries for the past five years.

On October 31, 2019, Governor-General Sir Tapley Seaton announced the appointment of Denzil V Crooke as the new chairman of the Constituency Boundaries Commission replacing Calvin Pemberon who had been appointed from more than a year.

Most probably, the house will be dissolved in somewhere between April 2020, whereas it is near to impossible to make new amendments in the boundaries and the question remains same that which boundaries will be in effect in upcoming elections? The one who was being used in the past years or the amendments presented by former PM Dr Douglas during his governance.

Apart from this, opposition leader Dr Denzil Douglas during his address on a radio show expressed his distrust and said, “We are deliberately being kept in the dark as the government continues to behave as if a matter as fundamental as this is some international global secret that only the government members must know about. Which is ridiculous,” said Dr Douglas.

The opposition leader also alleged the government that the ordinary citizen of this country does not know which boundaries the next elections will be called on.”