July 31, 2020
Democracy for the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis has suffered a crushing blow based on a legal technicality identified by Dr. Timothy Harris and other defendants in the Unity coalition regime that willfully ignores compelling evidence of fraud. The six election petitions filed by the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) provided substantive evidence, based on eye-witness accounts and reports from its electoral agents, that uncovered widespread irregularities in the voting process. It also identified numerous allegations of bribery and massive corruption and electoral fraud that made a mockery of the June 5th General Election.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party finds it extremely appalling and regrettable that before one shred of evidence could be laid before the court, the democratic voices of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis have been stifled. The June 5th General Election was neither free, fair or free from fear. It was not conducted on a level playing field. The UNITY incumbent candidates used and abused the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic and the State of Emergency to gain an unfair advantage. No international observers were allowed to independently monitor the electoral and voting processes.
A New York Times article entitled “Latin America is Facing a Decline in Democracy under the Pandemic” published on July 29, 2020, cited the 24-hour lockdown as one of the main impediments hampering opposition efforts to connect with voters while candidates on the government side were allowed to do so.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party will not rest until the will of the people prevails in our blessed land which is the only source of authority of our nation’s leaders. We wish to express our thanks to all of our supporters, not just our Labour supporters, but all who have stood up and spoken out in defense of Truth and Justice. Thank you for standing on the side of principles, integrity in public office, good governance and justice. The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party shares in the disappointment of the overwhelming majority of right-thinking citizens who have seen their hopes and dreams hijacked by the fraudulent election. We are resolute in rejecting any notion that the election return results reflected the genuine will of the people. Many legal experts, having looked at the substantive matters in this case, came to the conclusion that all petitions were likely to succeed.
The demand to rescue democracy is a national imperative that cannot be ignored. Victory will be created out of our relentless commitment to beating back the anti-democratic forces that threaten to normalize the unprecedented low to which the political process in our country has descended. The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party will continue to hold the national standard high and will not rest until the will of the majority of the people is recognized.