Parry, who is also the incumbent Premier of the island, made it clear, during a press briefing, that his NRP is continuing to outline, to the voters, the “many projects and programs laid out in the NRP 2011 Manifesto, “Transformed – Better for All”.
He was reacting to the High Court ruling that demanded that the names of five voters that were removed from the Voters List, be immediately reinstated in time to allow those persons to cast their ballots in Monday’s island elections.
“What I want the people of Nevis to know is that the names that were taken off the list have nothing to do with the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP). It is a matter of the Electoral Office and the lawyers for the CCM, the Premier said.
A release from the NRP Administration stated on Friday, (8th July, 2011)that, “In… a suit brought by Angis Palmer, Efigenia Palmer-Valdespin, Fernando Palmer, Evelyn Palmer and Cresentia Palmer against the Supervisor of Elections, the Attorney General and Registration (Officer) Bernadettte Lawrence, sought the Court to restore their names to the voters’ list. Their claim stated that their names had appeared on the January 15, 2011 list but did not appear on the list that will be used for the upcoming election. The Court ordered that out of the abundance of caution, that as an Interim measure, that their names be restored to the voters’ list so that they be allowed to vote on Monday (July 11).”
The NRP release stated that, the other 241 names, which the CCM wanted restored to the list, had no such luck. The Judge ruled that it was not within his purview to do so, and in any case, that the CCM had not provided supporting affidavits.
The CCM had earlier, (before the case), indicated that it would have been very difficult to prepare that many affidavits in time for a court hearing; and they were of the opinion that once evidence had been provided, that indeed persons names were being expunged from the list, without their knowledge or approval, that the court would have called for further investigation and taken action to have the names restored.
Premier Parry is however of the view that the CCM had “sought to deliberately delay the July 11 local election on Nevis.” He made the statement during the Press Conference on Friday afternoon at the Bath Hotel Conference Room.
The NRP’s statement indicated that the Leader of the Opposition CCM, the Vance Amory, filed an application in the High Court Tuesday (July 5) seeking an injunction to stop Monday’s poll.
Flanked by lawyers for the Supervisor of Elections and the Attorney General, Dr. Henry Browne and Sylvester Anthony, the Premier informed the media that the CCM had no concern for persons who were coming from North America or the UK (United Kingdom) to exercise their franchise.
“It was very likely that many of them would not be able to come back home to vote”, said Parry.
The question to the CCM is: “Was the actions of the CCM purposely done to disenfranchise Nevisian voters from voting?” the Premier asked. He called it an attempt to “hijack” the elections.
According to the NRP statement, “On handing down his decision Friday morning , Justice Mario Mitchell told a packed courtroom that the attorneys for the respondents had argued that the Court did not have jurisdiction or the power to stop an election that was already in train. He further stated that the attorney for the claimant Dane Hamilton QC, had conceded that point, and withdrawn their application for an injunction.”