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Less than a month before the general elections in the Caribbean nation of Grenada, scheduled for March 13, the Parliamentary Elections Office has denied claims by opposition party National Democratic Congress that people on the voter list are being transferred from one constituency to another.
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In Grenada, elections are won based on the number of constituencies secured rather than the sum total of popular votes. 'Voter padding' refers to transferring voters from one constituency to another with the goal of securing victory.
Voter and Civic Registration Officer Ferdinand Phillip said there are legitimate reasons for people to transfer to a different constituency, insisting the registered cases occurred within a framework of impartiality and competence.
"These are legitimate cases that were done within the confines of the law," Phillip said.
Other claims of irregularities have been raised regarding foreigners allegedly registering to vote in the March 13 parliamentary elections.
Phillip responded to the allegations, saying: "In any constituency, persons are allowed to – if you are a Commonwealth Citizen and you have resided in Grenada for a period of at least one year, unbroken – you can get registered.
"Now, ideally, you are asked to present your passport – your valid passport – which will show that you have been in the country for those 12 unbroken months. However, we do have persons who are living in Grenada for more than 12 months."
Dismissing the accusations, he stressed that the law allows anyone to object if they suspect "someone has been registered and maybe they didn't have the proper document, or maybe they registered in the wrong place."
Incumbent Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell could be re-elected if his New National Party wins the general elections.
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