Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman, Dr. Duane Sands voiced concerns about issues that could impact the advanced poll. Dr. Sands released a video message via social media on Sunday.
Dr. Sands said to date the certified register had not been made available for relevant parties to scrutinize. He said, “their excuse is well we’re trying. That is unacceptable. It is a disgrace and they really ought to do better. We have no idea whether or not the persons who requested to be put on the advanced poll would have been put on the advanced poll register. We have no idea whether dead people have been removed from the register, whether the appropriate transfers have been made. Clearly, the resources that were required by the Parliamentary Registration Department were not provided. Was this accidental, was it coincidental or was it deliberate.”
Head of the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) legal team, Keenan Johnson responded to Dr. Sands at a press conference on Sunday. Referring to the Parliamentary Elections Act Johnson said, “its states that the Parliamentary Commissioner shall on the fifteenth day following the day of the issue of the Writ Of Election publish a register at the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner. We are aware that the writ was issued on April 9th so the day following would be April 10th, that would be when that 15 days starts to run. So April 10th would be the first day.
Johnson went further stating, “it’s important to read that in conjunction with section 2 of the Parliamentary Elections Act that actually defines a day. And it says that a day includes every day other than Sunday or a public holiday. And so if you count day one being April 10th and you count 15 days and you exclude the three Sundays that are in there then that takes you to April 27th, which is tomorrow. We have every belief that the PRD will issue the register in time and that time will be tomorrow and not today or any day before today.”
PLP Spokesman, Latrae Rahming also commented on Dr. Sands comments. He said, “what Keenan has just demonstrated was the inability of the Chairman of the FNM to read the law and to comprehend it in a way that speaks to the date being tomorrow. And these are persons who want to offer themselves for governance.”
Parliamentary Commissioner, Harrison Thompson told ZNS News the register has been certified and will be released in accordance with the law.
