Simulated General Elections Planned

Details

Politics

Thursday, 02 August 2012 02:30

By Everton Barnes

Antigua St. John’s - The Free and Fair Elections League (F&FEL) is planning what it termed a simulated General Election.

The exercise would be part of a national poll to gauge the popularity of the two main political parties, the governing United Progressive Party (UPP), and the opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP).

In a communiqué made available to Caribarena.com, the F&FEL said the exercise, to be conducted during the month of September, also seeks to stimulate renewed interest in the electoral processes of Antigua & Barbuda.

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The press statement, targeting all registered voters in the country, said the F&FEL conceived the idea due to what it termed “the widespread perception that there is no marked difference between the UPP and the ALP”. According to the League, this has led to many people vowing not to vote in the upcoming general elections of 2012.

League Secretary, George Rick James, said the plan is to stage the poll every Thursday during September starting on September 6. Voting will take place between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm.

He said permission is being sought from four of the main supermarkets in and around St John’s to set up the polling booths. These are Bargain Centre, Epicurean, First Choice and Christo’s.

Voters will have a choice between the following;

Antigua Labour Party (ALP)
Independent (IND)
New Party (NP)
United Progressive Party (UPP)

James also announced that the polling stations will provide screens to ensure that voting is done in private. He said the idea has been well-received so far and he is seeking support for the venture to cover the expenses involved to include paid polling clerks to man the booths.

He added that voting is open to anyone whose name appears on the Register of Electors as a copy will be available at each polling station to verify the eligibility of would-be voters.

James, who has a keen interest in electoral matters, said the exercise will also provide useful information for the Electoral Commission on whether or not there might be a need to take a second look at the number of polling stations it provides.

The League secretary is of the view that the availability of transportation suggests whether fewer polling stations may not be the way to go.

The communiqué stated that people whose names appear on the June 2012 Register of Electors, or who get registered no later than 48 hours before polling day, will be eligible to vote. Any form of picture identification or the Antigua & Barbuda passport is accepted.



James also explained that measures will be put in place to ensure the integrity of the process.

“Following the end of voting each Thursday, all the boxes with the ballots will be secured either by the police or a security firm. Then on the last Thursday, the 27, all the boxes will be moved to a public place such as the Multi-Purpose Cultural Centre where the counting will be done in public. We will also ask the UPP and the ALP to nominate observers to monitor the conduct of the vote and to report any irregularity,” he said.

James disclosed that a public education programme will take place immediately after the Carnival festivities to encourage as many people as possible to participate in the process.

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