ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP)says it will no longer pursue legal action challenging the decision taken by Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) to conduct a voter identification card replacement program instead of a complete re-registration exercise.
Initially, ABEC had planned a complete re-registration exercise to address the expiration of over 40,000 voter ID cards in March 2024. But ABEC later decided that a replacement programme would be more effective in serving the electoral process.
The voter identification card replacement programme has now commenced across all 17 constituencies.
In May, the UPP’s General Council voted to oppose the reversal, citing concerns about voter list integrity and alleged voter transfers by Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
UPP leader, Jamale Pringle, had said then a case stemming from that incident is already before the court.
“We all know that, in addition, too many deceased people remain on the voters list; the Prime Minister himself, admitted to some highly questionable transfers ahead of January 2023 general election.
“I want to remind the public that the party and it’s representatives took several actions to hold the system accountable, Brother Allister Thomas, the caretaker for St John’s City West, made an attempt to secure a copy, of the picture list used on election day and ABEC refused; that matter is now before the court.”
But speaking at a news conference on Monday, the UPP’s legal team, including lead attorney Kendrickson Kentish and former attorney general Justin Simon KC, said the party was changing its position.
“A decision has been taken that the party will not be launching an immediate challenge to the validation of voter ID cards taking place today,” Kentish said.
“We believe that the energy and focus have to be on ensuring that no voter is disenfranchised in this process, and that the whole exercise will be fair to the voters and to the political parties involved.
“We will be observing the process, we will be taking instructions from those involved in the process, the scrutineers, and if it is that there are serious irregularities in the card validation process, the United Progressive Party will be taking legal action.”
Simon said two factors underlined the party’s decision.
“Two things we had to look at very seriously; one, the court process would take quite some time, given our backlog, given the kind of evidence that we would have to present in court, and secondly, the cost of a re-registration exercise had to be taken into account, because at the end of the day it is the taxpayers who are going to have to meet that cost and it would be exorbitant.”
He said in light of those two factors, and in light of the fact that the validation of the voter cards would allow for persons to submit their expired cards, for them to give proof of address, ”and we having scrutineers there to ensure that the process is duly followed”.
Despite withdrawing the legal challenge, the UPP said it would continue to closely monitor the voter ID card replacement exercise and that it reserves the right to pursue legal action if any irregularities are detected during the process.