Ralph Gonsalves
The country’s Supervisor of Elections, Wingrove George has come under scrutiny by members of the electorate and St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
Dr. Gonsalves issued a statement on Tuesday criticising George’s decision to halt the announcement of election results in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. “The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines congratulates the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis, including all political parties, on the conduct of peaceful elections yesterday, February 16th 2015. The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is disappointed that the Supervisor of Elections is yet to declare officially the results of the preliminary count and has not put appropriate measures in place to effect the final count in accordance with the law and established practice,” Gonsalves said.
Meantime, six non-governmental organisations in the Federation have collectively written a letter to Supervisor George where they express dissatisfaction in his decision. The letter concludes with the groups admonishing George to announce the results with immediate effect. It reads, “We call on you to complete your constitutional duties immediately by announcing the election results” adding “you will be held legally and personally responsible for your failure to do so.”
The groups also wrote a follow-up letter to Hesketh Benjamin in his capacity as Chairman of the electoral commission. A portion of that letter reads, “Your and his failure could have very negative implications for the rule of law and the reputation of our country.”