• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > Latin America

Barbados Opposition Condemns Election Date as 'Royal Fumble'

  • Barbados Prime Minister Frendel Stuart set the elections for May 24, the same day students will be taking examinations.

    Barbados Prime Minister Frendel Stuart set the elections for May 24, the same day students will be taking examinations. | Photo: EFE

Published 28 April 2018
Opinion

Opposition leader Mia Mottley said May 24 "conflicts with the examinations being taken by our children on both nomination day and election day."

One day after Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart announced that general elections will be held on May 24, opposition leader Mia Mottley of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has said the date poses a logistical nightmare for voters and students.

Elections are scheduled to occur on the same day students take the regional exam called the Caribbean Examinations Council test, but during such elections, schools are normally used as polling stations.

RELATED: 
Barbados: Prime Minister Announces May 24 Election Date Amid Economic Uncertainty

"He has had five years to set a date for the elections; it is therefore regrettable that he has chosen that date, one that conflicts with the examinations being taken by our children on both nomination day and election day," Mottley said.

"The prime minister and the government need to explain to the country as soon as possible what arrangements will be put in place to minimize this anxiety...This is nothing more than a royal fumble."

In repsonse, the Ministry of Education issued a statement saying that neither students nor voters will be affected: "There will be special arrangements to be implemented at each centre to facilitate the entrance, controlled movement and exit of candidates and other examination officials during the day's examination period.

"The ministry wishes to assure the public and candidates that all steps have been taken to ensure safe and secure conditions for the administration of all examinations, so that no candidate will be disadvantaged as a result of any events on that date."

Chief Electoral Officer Angela Tayler also said voter registration is continuing and the training of personnel who will assist in the elections is complete, according to Caribbean 360, which also reports that Stuart's ruling DLP and the opposition BLP are ramping up their campaigns.

Other parties contesting the elections include the United Progressive Party; Solutions Barbados; Barbados Integrity Movement; the People's Democratic Movement, and the Bajan Free Party – a coalition involving the Kingdom Government Party and the People's Democratic Congress. At least one independent candidate, Natalie Harewood, a former prostitute, will also be on the ballot box.

The general elections follow a report by the Inter-American Development Bank's Office of Evaluation and Oversight, which predicts that the country will need budgetary assistance from the International Monetary Fund as soon as the election is over.

The report, titled 'Approach Paper Barbados 2014-2018 Country Program Evaluation,' also indicates that Barbados' government has been borrowing billions to bridge the gap between state expenditure and revenue. The report also highlights low foreign reserves as an area of concern.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.