By: Staff Writer
August 2, 2022
St Kitts and Nevis elections are this Friday August 5, and it is expected that Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris will be gone and a new government installed.
Dr Harris has faced insurrection by some of his coalition members, with most notably his Deputy Prime Minister, Shawn Richards who is also leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), defecting along with Premier of the island of Nevis, Mark Brantley. Both have claimed that Dr Harris has not been forthcoming with the shares of the Citizenship by Investment revenue.
Premier Brantley, reported by this magazine, said that he felt “betrayed” by Dr Harris as St Kitts gets the lion’s share of the CBI revenues while the island of Nevis gets just 7 percent despite having 30 percent of the population of the twin island nation.
Premier Brantley has also denied any backing from any CBI firm in particular, killing any speculation that they are behind his most recent attacks and disaffection from Dr Harris.
Dr Harris is also facing significant political pressure from senior politicians in the country as well. None other than SKN’s first Prime Minister, Sir Kennedy Simmonds. calling for the removal of Dr Harris from office, saying he is not good for democracy and the twin-island federation.
Sir Simmonds said on a radio broadcast that: “the current state of affairs in my country has forced me to break my tradition and I can no longer remain silent.”
He added: “For the benefit of future generations, this present danger to our democracy, Timothy Harris must be removed with the greatest urgency. All hands must be on board, we have a nation to save.”
Sir Kennedy, also a former leader of the PAM, who rarely makes any public statements, seems to be shifting the power back to the party that ousted him in 1995, the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), now led by Dr Terrance Drew.
At least 32 candidates representing six political parties were nominated on Tuesday in a Carnival-style atmosphere to contest SKN general elections this coming Friday Dr Harris was forced to call three years ahead of the constitutional deadline.
People’s Labour Party (PLP), led by Harris, as well as the main opposition, SKNLP and the PAM are contesting all eight seats on St Kitts, while the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) and the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) are contesting the three seats up for grabs on Nevis. The Moral Restoration Movement (MRM) has nominated two candidates in Nevis.