By Candia Dames ~ Guardian News Editor ~ candia@nasguard.com:
The Free National Movement will seek the agreement of the Election Court for the Progressive Liberal Party to be required to put up security for costs, so that if the PLP loses the pending Elizabeth challenge, there would be money to meet its obligation to pay, FNM leader Hubert Ingraham announced yesterday at his first news conference after the hotly-contested by-election.
Ingraham stressed that the FNM fully expects the PLP to lose in court.
"The elites in the PLP seem to prefer court cases over the expressed will of the people," he said.
"It is not enough to talk about the ideals of democracy. A responsible and democratic government is charged with putting in place the measures which help to protect these ideals."
The PLP is preparing to mount an Election Court challenge after a grueling two-day recount resulted in its candidate, Ryan Pinder, receiving 1,499 votes to the 1,501 votes secured by Dr. Duane Sands, the FNM's candidate.
Pinder also got five protest votes that could still impact the outcome of the election, but Ingraham said the FNM has evidence that at least four of the people who voted on colored ballots had no entitlement to vote.
According to Ingraham, the PLP has long found it difficult to accept the will of the people expressed on election day.
"They like to go to court; but they are only satisfied when the court finds in their favor," he told the media and FNM supporters gathered at the party's headquarters on Mackey Street.
He noted that following the 2007 general election the PLP mounted a series of challenges in Election Court that proved unsuccessful.
"All were unnecessary — in Pinewood, in Marco City, and in Blue Hills," Ingraham said. "In none of those cases have the PLP paid the Election Court costs. Not one. This is par for the course.
"It is also part of an entitlement mentality by the PLP that the standards of fair play, common decency and abiding by the rules apply to everyone but themselves. In their minds the decisions of our national institutions may be circumvented or ignored if they are not in keeping with the self-interests of the PLP."
Ingraham reminded that the PLP owes ZNS $236,000.
He said had The Nassau Guardian not exposed this information recently, he would not have discussed it publicly.
"I would have sought to cajole to persuade them to pay, but now it looks like we've got to shame them to pay," Ingraham said.
This amount was incurred by the PLP over two and a half years ago at the last general election, he said.
"Ironically, the money still owed to ZNS is mostly a result of the television broadcast of rallies, which ignored longstanding broadcast rules which the PLP ignored and unilaterally broke," Ingraham charged.
"Further, despite not paying their general election bill they felt they were entitled to more time on ZNS during the Elizabeth by-election. With the extraordinary amount of funds the PLP spent in Elizabeth, they had more than enough funds to pay their other legal debts inclusive of sums owed Bahamasair. That they refused to do so is indicative of their mindset.
"Not paying their court costs and failing to pay ZNS and Bahamasair is a clear abuse of our national institutions. It sends the wrong example on many levels. The PLP are happy to take advantage of these institutions. But they refuse to abide by their decisions as and when it suits their purposes."
Ingraham claimed that the PLP had much more money than the FNM to spend during the Elizabeth by-election campaign and did so.
Ingraham also said when he became leader of the FNM in 1990, one of the early matters that he had to address was the settlement of costs for Election Court challenges mounted by the FNM following the 1987 general election.
"We raised the money and paid the $750,000 costs awarded against us by the court. We did so before the 1992 elections. We paid the monies to Nottage, Miller & Co., their legal representatives," Ingraham said.
"When the courts found in the government's favor on matters involving Sir Lynden Pindling (the now deceased former prime minister), Darrell Rolle and Philip Bethel (former PLP ministers) we, in the FNM government did not hound them to pay because we did not believe that the government should pursue people into bankruptcy."
Ingraham added, "When Sir Lynden Pindling was sued by Sir Kendal Isaacs (former FNM leader) on a matter concerning public disclosure, Sir Lynden insisted that he pay the $100,000 assessed by the courts. I never tire of saying that we are different from them; distinctly different."
He noted that in 2007 the FNM mounted a challenge against the PLP's victory in MICAL and lost.
"We paid costs of almost $225,000 to Davis & Co., the PLP's legal representatives. As a party, we take ownership and responsibility for our Election Court cases," Ingraham said.
"The PLP takes ownership and responsibility for nothing. When they lose an election case, they claim that the individual took the case to Election Court, not the party, and they pay nothing; ignore the debt.
In their world they never lose, cannot lose: The voters make mistakes, the parliamentary commissioner is inefficient, the FNM steals elections and the courts are in error."
Ingraham pointed out that in the case of the 2007 Marco City challenge, the Election Court assessed costs at $1 million.
"They have not paid a red nickel. We have not yet assessed the costs for Pinewood and Blue Hills; be assured however, we will do so," Ingraham said.
"They have a new mantra now. When they lose, they declare victory, tell their supporters that the election isn't over yet; send their operatives to all the radio stations to spill their vile mistruths and half-truths. They drag their matters on for as long as possible, hoping that somehow they will be able to reverse the decision made by the people on election day.
"They did this in 2007 and for more than a year held out to their supporters that victory was just around the corner. They did this cynically because they knew they had lost the 2007 general election fair and square. They knew they were wasting the Election Court's time when attention ought to have been given to serving the people."
Ingraham said the PLP appears now to be on the verge of "this same self-serving, delaying tactic" following the Elizabeth by-election.
"This is not the behavior of democrats," he said.
"Instead, it is the behavior of a PLP elite who manipulate our political system for their own self-aggrandizement and personal benefit. In other words, rather than serving our democratic institutions, the PLP mostly seek to have these institutions serve their personal needs and agendas."
Februray 22, 2010
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Elizabeth by-election: Many illegal votes cast says Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham
By Krystel Rolle ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ krystel@nasguard.com:
Many people voted illegally in the Elizabeth by-election last Tuesday, according to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who indicated yesterday that the Free National Movement would wage an all-out war to secure victory, and fully expects to win the looming Election Court challenge.
"...We were also surprised by a number of persons who voted who shouldn't have voted," said Ingraham during a press conference yesterday at the FNM headquarters on Mackey Street.
"We didn't have sufficient information on that day (by-election day) to challenge them. We challenged many of them, however; and should the matter go to the Election Court, we believe that there are large numbers of persons whose votes would be liable to be declared void."
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is preparing to mount an Election Court challenge after a two-day recount ended with its candidate, Ryan Pinder, receiving 1,499 votes to the 1,501 votes that FNM candidate Dr. Duane Sands received.
Pinder also got five protest votes that could still impact the outcome of the election.
Protest votes are those votes that were cast on a colored ballot paper because the presiding officer was not satisfied as to the identity of the voter or as to his entitlement to vote because of a defect in the voter's card; an incorrect entry in the register; or the voter had a voter's card but his name did not appear in the register for the constituency or the particular polling division.
Although the person is still allowed to vote, it is not counted, but if the protest votes could materially affect the outcome of an election, a court may make a final determination.
PLP trustee and attorney Valentine Grimes pointed out last week that if the protest votes are added to Pinder's tally after the election challenge, Pinder would have a total of 1,504 votes as compared to Sands' 1,501 votes, and therefore would be declared the winner.
However, Ingraham said the FNM is not worried about those protest votes.
He also claimed that corruption and voter fraud were high in the Elizabeth constituency.
"I wouldn't dare burden my supporters with what I know," he said.
Ingraham hinted that the FNM has developed a three-pronged plan to ensure that it secures a victory.
"The FNM expects to win what the PLP is taking to court so we don't need to consider any further steps. We challenged those five voters. In the case of four of them, we have very good evidence that they had no entitlement whatsoever to vote," said Ingraham, who is also the leader of the FNM.
He later added, "The PLP can't go to court and succeed unless those five persons also show up to court. They have to come themselves and we call upon them to come and take that Bible in their hand and swear an oath [indicating] their qualifications to vote in Elizabeth, then be cross-examined by the FNM team of lawyers."
Ingraham added that each of the five candidates in the election would also have the option to question each one of the protested voters and cross-examine them.
"At the end of the day, the court will make a decision. If these persons turn out to be persons that committed perjury or who lied, then there are laws to deal with that," he warned.
"So each of these persons will have to make their own decision on what they want to do. Let go, let be or expose yourself to the other place," said Ingraham, making a clear reference to Her Majesty's Prison.
"In the other place, you go there by yourself, no one goes with you. It's a very lonely place to be."
In addition to protesting five of the votes, the FNM also challenged a number of votes for various reasons. The votes of people who were challenged were counted in the final tally. The PLP also challenged a number of votes.
Asked yesterday how many votes the FNM challenged, Ingraham said that would be revealed in "phase three" of the Election Court challenge.
"Quite a few people were challenged — many people voted who do not live in Elizabeth. We never believed that there were [nearly] 5,000 people eligible to vote in Elizabeth," Ingraham said.
"The register said 4,943. We never believed that. In the last election [nearly 4,000] persons voted. We don't believe that the constituency has many more than that today."
He said the FNM found numerous empty apartments where no one lives.
Given that, Ingraham said voter turnout was probably around 75 percent.
Throughout the news conference, Sands was referred to as the member of Parliament-elect for the Elizabeth constituency. He also referred to himself that way.
"The results from the February 16th poll declared Dr. Duane Sands of the FNM the winner of the poll and hence the Elizabeth constituency MP-elect," said Ingraham.
"We are confident that once that process (if it is in fact undertaken) is completed that Dr. Duane Sands will once again be declared the winner of the February 16th poll. We will ensure that the intentions of the majority of those eligible to vote in the Elizabeth by-election are honored and upheld."
Ingraham added that the people of Elizabeth are entitled to and deserve full representation in the House of Assembly.
Unnecessary delays in the certification processes fail to honor both the spirit and the rules of our democratic traditions. The voice of Elizabeth must and will be fully heard in Parliament as soon as possible.
"In short, it is only a matter of time before Dr. Sands is certified as the member of Parliament for Elizabeth," Ingraham said. "He and the FNM won the election fair and square."
Sands, who briefly addressed supporters, said he is proud to be the member-elect for Elizabeth.
He thanked his supporters yesterday, and pledged to serve all the people in the constituency with the same passion that he brought to the campaign.
Sands said after the election results are certified, he would look forward for other opportunities to thank the people of Elizabeth.
Ingraham urged all FNM supporters to remain patient and calm. He told them to conduct themselves with dignity and good cheer as the rule of law is followed.
"Do not be provoked," he cautioned, adding that the FNM will remain focused throughout the next stages of this process.
"Finally, I urge all of those in political office and those engaged in party politics to refrain from any actions or irresponsible and intemperate language which may inflame passions," said the FNM leader.
"Our democracy has the procedures, rules and laws necessary to properly adjudicate the electoral matter at hand."
Februray 22, 2010
thenassauguardian
Many people voted illegally in the Elizabeth by-election last Tuesday, according to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who indicated yesterday that the Free National Movement would wage an all-out war to secure victory, and fully expects to win the looming Election Court challenge.
"...We were also surprised by a number of persons who voted who shouldn't have voted," said Ingraham during a press conference yesterday at the FNM headquarters on Mackey Street.
"We didn't have sufficient information on that day (by-election day) to challenge them. We challenged many of them, however; and should the matter go to the Election Court, we believe that there are large numbers of persons whose votes would be liable to be declared void."
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is preparing to mount an Election Court challenge after a two-day recount ended with its candidate, Ryan Pinder, receiving 1,499 votes to the 1,501 votes that FNM candidate Dr. Duane Sands received.
Pinder also got five protest votes that could still impact the outcome of the election.
Protest votes are those votes that were cast on a colored ballot paper because the presiding officer was not satisfied as to the identity of the voter or as to his entitlement to vote because of a defect in the voter's card; an incorrect entry in the register; or the voter had a voter's card but his name did not appear in the register for the constituency or the particular polling division.
Although the person is still allowed to vote, it is not counted, but if the protest votes could materially affect the outcome of an election, a court may make a final determination.
PLP trustee and attorney Valentine Grimes pointed out last week that if the protest votes are added to Pinder's tally after the election challenge, Pinder would have a total of 1,504 votes as compared to Sands' 1,501 votes, and therefore would be declared the winner.
However, Ingraham said the FNM is not worried about those protest votes.
He also claimed that corruption and voter fraud were high in the Elizabeth constituency.
"I wouldn't dare burden my supporters with what I know," he said.
Ingraham hinted that the FNM has developed a three-pronged plan to ensure that it secures a victory.
"The FNM expects to win what the PLP is taking to court so we don't need to consider any further steps. We challenged those five voters. In the case of four of them, we have very good evidence that they had no entitlement whatsoever to vote," said Ingraham, who is also the leader of the FNM.
He later added, "The PLP can't go to court and succeed unless those five persons also show up to court. They have to come themselves and we call upon them to come and take that Bible in their hand and swear an oath [indicating] their qualifications to vote in Elizabeth, then be cross-examined by the FNM team of lawyers."
Ingraham added that each of the five candidates in the election would also have the option to question each one of the protested voters and cross-examine them.
"At the end of the day, the court will make a decision. If these persons turn out to be persons that committed perjury or who lied, then there are laws to deal with that," he warned.
"So each of these persons will have to make their own decision on what they want to do. Let go, let be or expose yourself to the other place," said Ingraham, making a clear reference to Her Majesty's Prison.
"In the other place, you go there by yourself, no one goes with you. It's a very lonely place to be."
In addition to protesting five of the votes, the FNM also challenged a number of votes for various reasons. The votes of people who were challenged were counted in the final tally. The PLP also challenged a number of votes.
Asked yesterday how many votes the FNM challenged, Ingraham said that would be revealed in "phase three" of the Election Court challenge.
"Quite a few people were challenged — many people voted who do not live in Elizabeth. We never believed that there were [nearly] 5,000 people eligible to vote in Elizabeth," Ingraham said.
"The register said 4,943. We never believed that. In the last election [nearly 4,000] persons voted. We don't believe that the constituency has many more than that today."
He said the FNM found numerous empty apartments where no one lives.
Given that, Ingraham said voter turnout was probably around 75 percent.
Throughout the news conference, Sands was referred to as the member of Parliament-elect for the Elizabeth constituency. He also referred to himself that way.
"The results from the February 16th poll declared Dr. Duane Sands of the FNM the winner of the poll and hence the Elizabeth constituency MP-elect," said Ingraham.
"We are confident that once that process (if it is in fact undertaken) is completed that Dr. Duane Sands will once again be declared the winner of the February 16th poll. We will ensure that the intentions of the majority of those eligible to vote in the Elizabeth by-election are honored and upheld."
Ingraham added that the people of Elizabeth are entitled to and deserve full representation in the House of Assembly.
Unnecessary delays in the certification processes fail to honor both the spirit and the rules of our democratic traditions. The voice of Elizabeth must and will be fully heard in Parliament as soon as possible.
"In short, it is only a matter of time before Dr. Sands is certified as the member of Parliament for Elizabeth," Ingraham said. "He and the FNM won the election fair and square."
Sands, who briefly addressed supporters, said he is proud to be the member-elect for Elizabeth.
He thanked his supporters yesterday, and pledged to serve all the people in the constituency with the same passion that he brought to the campaign.
Sands said after the election results are certified, he would look forward for other opportunities to thank the people of Elizabeth.
Ingraham urged all FNM supporters to remain patient and calm. He told them to conduct themselves with dignity and good cheer as the rule of law is followed.
"Do not be provoked," he cautioned, adding that the FNM will remain focused throughout the next stages of this process.
"Finally, I urge all of those in political office and those engaged in party politics to refrain from any actions or irresponsible and intemperate language which may inflame passions," said the FNM leader.
"Our democracy has the procedures, rules and laws necessary to properly adjudicate the electoral matter at hand."
Februray 22, 2010
thenassauguardian
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Dr. Duane Sands Dissatisfied With Elizabeth by-election Results
BY KENDENO N. KNOWLES:
He was declared the unofficial winner of the much anticipated and hotly contested Elizabeth by-election, but Free National Movement (FNM) candidate Dr. Duane Sands only won the election by one point – almost 300 votes less than Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had previously predicted.
Dr. Sands admitted last night that he was not too happy with the way things went at the polls.
Slightly disappointed with the close finish at the polls, the FNM candidate said the results have left him with a bit of uncertainty.
"It is not the type of feeling that I would have hoped to have had at this point. I imagine that [Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate] Ryan Pinder is feeling similarly and that is almost unsure of what [Wednesday] is going to bring," Dr. Sands said.
While uncertainty looms about who the official winner is up to this point, Dr. Sands said he feels that he is more or less in a better position that Mr. Pinder.
"I prefer, however, to be in a position where I am one point up as opposed to one point down. But to be quite honest with you this is not going to be the jubilant night that we all expected," he said.
The exhausting campaign trail took the FNM candidate from door-to-door in the Elizabeth constituency and even to the houses of those that did not support him.
Even with that, Dr. Sands said he never doubted his success at the polls.
"I never doubted that I would win this election, but, we always gave the voters the respect that they deserved and you can see that one vote made all the difference," he said.
The ballots are scheduled to be recounted today and there is a possibility that Mr. Pinder might be declared the official winner.
If he loses, Dr. Sands said he would focus his energy on running in the 2012 General Election.
"If I do not win it’ll be over at this point, but now we [will have to] get on with the business of taking care of the people’s needs in Elizabeth," he said.
"If I don’t win I will be back practicing medicine and will return to seek the seat in Elizabeth in the 2012 election."
Dr. Sands could not say whether he would reapply for the many government and private positions he resigned from in order to pursue a political career.
Meanwhile National Development Party (NDP) candidate Dr. Andre Rollins – whose performance at the polls rivaled the performance of the other third parties – pointed out that while the PLP and FNM may have been successful at the polls, there was a poor voter turnout.
That is something Dr. Rollins said shows how fed-up the people of Elizabeth and around the country really are with both parties’ performance.
"I think that the poor voter turnout is evidence that many Bahamians are displeased with what is in fact the state of the nation. I think that many persons stayed home despite the excitement that we feel was being generated on a national level," he said.
"By virtue of the poor voter turnout, I believe it implies that persons were not sufficiently motivated or stimulated enough by either of the mainstream political parties."
Dr. Rollins said a look at the votes garnered by the third parties would reveal that all three of the parties made an impact on this election.
February 17th, 2010
jonesbahamas
He was declared the unofficial winner of the much anticipated and hotly contested Elizabeth by-election, but Free National Movement (FNM) candidate Dr. Duane Sands only won the election by one point – almost 300 votes less than Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had previously predicted.
Dr. Sands admitted last night that he was not too happy with the way things went at the polls.
Slightly disappointed with the close finish at the polls, the FNM candidate said the results have left him with a bit of uncertainty.
"It is not the type of feeling that I would have hoped to have had at this point. I imagine that [Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate] Ryan Pinder is feeling similarly and that is almost unsure of what [Wednesday] is going to bring," Dr. Sands said.
While uncertainty looms about who the official winner is up to this point, Dr. Sands said he feels that he is more or less in a better position that Mr. Pinder.
"I prefer, however, to be in a position where I am one point up as opposed to one point down. But to be quite honest with you this is not going to be the jubilant night that we all expected," he said.
The exhausting campaign trail took the FNM candidate from door-to-door in the Elizabeth constituency and even to the houses of those that did not support him.
Even with that, Dr. Sands said he never doubted his success at the polls.
"I never doubted that I would win this election, but, we always gave the voters the respect that they deserved and you can see that one vote made all the difference," he said.
The ballots are scheduled to be recounted today and there is a possibility that Mr. Pinder might be declared the official winner.
If he loses, Dr. Sands said he would focus his energy on running in the 2012 General Election.
"If I do not win it’ll be over at this point, but now we [will have to] get on with the business of taking care of the people’s needs in Elizabeth," he said.
"If I don’t win I will be back practicing medicine and will return to seek the seat in Elizabeth in the 2012 election."
Dr. Sands could not say whether he would reapply for the many government and private positions he resigned from in order to pursue a political career.
Meanwhile National Development Party (NDP) candidate Dr. Andre Rollins – whose performance at the polls rivaled the performance of the other third parties – pointed out that while the PLP and FNM may have been successful at the polls, there was a poor voter turnout.
That is something Dr. Rollins said shows how fed-up the people of Elizabeth and around the country really are with both parties’ performance.
"I think that the poor voter turnout is evidence that many Bahamians are displeased with what is in fact the state of the nation. I think that many persons stayed home despite the excitement that we feel was being generated on a national level," he said.
"By virtue of the poor voter turnout, I believe it implies that persons were not sufficiently motivated or stimulated enough by either of the mainstream political parties."
Dr. Rollins said a look at the votes garnered by the third parties would reveal that all three of the parties made an impact on this election.
February 17th, 2010
jonesbahamas
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Elizabeth by-election: Recount ends - No winner confirmed
By Candia Dames ~ Guardian News Editor ~ candia@nasguard.com:
Forty-one hours after the recount of the three thousand plus ballots cast in the Elizabeth by-election got underway, the candidates in the hotly-contested race emerged with no clear winner being certified although the Free National Movement's Dr. Duane Sands was up by two votes.
The recount ended at 1 a.m. today.
Progressive Liberal Party officials indicated that they will invoke their entitlement under Section 69 of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
That provision provides for the Election Court to decide on protest votes if one candidate does not secure a margin of victory that exceeds his opponent's number of protest votes.
Sands' two vote margin is less than the five protest votes of PLP candidate Ryan Pinder. If the court approves Pinder's protest votes as regular votes, he could win the election.
The law states that in the event of any candidate wishing to avail himself of this provision, either he or his election agent shall notify the returning officer in writing immediately following the re-count, and in such case no such declaration of a winner shall be made.
The law requires that such an application be made within 10 days of the re-count.
"The procedure and practice of the Election Court on the hearing of such applications shall be regulated by rules which shall be made by the Rules Committee under section 75 of the Supreme Court Act, such rules making due provision for the preservation of the secrecy of the name or names of the candidate or candidates for whom each such protest ballot was cast; and at the hearing of any application all candidates for the relevant constituency shall be entitled to appear personally or by counsel, to call, examine or cross-examine any witnesses; and generally to be heard by the Election Court," the act states.
The law requires that the Election Court make a determination on the protest votes. In the event that the Court approves any such votes as legally cast, the protest votes shall be deemed to be regular votes and taken into account and added to the regular votes cast in favor of each candidate, and the returning officer shall declare the final result of the poll.
This morning's results were anti-climactic for hundreds of PLP and FNM supporters who waited off and on since before 8 a.m. Wednesday for the recount to end.
Except for a break between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday, the counting was non-stop for the 12 polling divisions.
Since early yesterday morning, Progressive Liberal Party leader Perry Christie, who was present nonstop throughout the recount, told The Nassau Guardian that it appeared likely the matter will end up in Election Court.
"We know that after the ballots are counted we have five protest votes, which means really that if Dr. Sands does not have a majority of over four or five votes the protest votes must be and will be counted," Christie said early yesterday.
"If my candidate loses by fewer votes than five, and we then indicate our preparedness to go to the Election Court to have the protest ballots examined, yes, it would automatically go to the Election Court for that adjudication because when you add the protest votes [that our candidate got] it would give him the majority. So it would be a question of whether those votes will in fact be agreed to by the courts, so I think we are headed really as it looks now, to the Election Court."
Christie, who has been in politics for more than 30 years, said he has never seen anything like what played out before, during and after Tuesday's by-election.
"I've said publicly already that there has been an extraordinary amount of intimidation, perceived or otherwise. People felt it and I spoke publicly to it," he said. "There have been...inducements to get people to vote and there are people who have been given jobs and infrastructure improvements and we decried that. But on top of that the voting process itself was really much to be desired. And look how long we've been trying to arrive at a determination where people are very, very tired, and so we have to examine this with a view to trying to improve it.
"And I think, quite frankly, that this is time for the political parties — most certainly Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie who've been in elected politics for 32 consecutive years — we have an obligation before we demit office to try to improve the electoral rules in our country so that we can avoid the kinds of problems we now face and we've seen enough signs to know that our system is headed toward being very corrupt and that in itself should be a tremendous warning to us that it is something that we should not accept and we should do something about."
Since 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sands had either been tied with Pinder in the race or up by one, two or three votes in what shaped up to be an extremely grueling and tedious exercise.
When the counting ended at 1 a.m., the unofficial results for polling division 12 remained unchanged. Pinder had 123 votes and Sands had 108.
Both the PLP and FNM had lawyers on hand during the recount, arguing over the last two days.
Sands has no protest votes. But the Bahamas Democratic Movement's Cassius Stuart has one.
February 19, 2010
thenassauguardian
Forty-one hours after the recount of the three thousand plus ballots cast in the Elizabeth by-election got underway, the candidates in the hotly-contested race emerged with no clear winner being certified although the Free National Movement's Dr. Duane Sands was up by two votes.
The recount ended at 1 a.m. today.
Progressive Liberal Party officials indicated that they will invoke their entitlement under Section 69 of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
That provision provides for the Election Court to decide on protest votes if one candidate does not secure a margin of victory that exceeds his opponent's number of protest votes.
Sands' two vote margin is less than the five protest votes of PLP candidate Ryan Pinder. If the court approves Pinder's protest votes as regular votes, he could win the election.
The law states that in the event of any candidate wishing to avail himself of this provision, either he or his election agent shall notify the returning officer in writing immediately following the re-count, and in such case no such declaration of a winner shall be made.
The law requires that such an application be made within 10 days of the re-count.
"The procedure and practice of the Election Court on the hearing of such applications shall be regulated by rules which shall be made by the Rules Committee under section 75 of the Supreme Court Act, such rules making due provision for the preservation of the secrecy of the name or names of the candidate or candidates for whom each such protest ballot was cast; and at the hearing of any application all candidates for the relevant constituency shall be entitled to appear personally or by counsel, to call, examine or cross-examine any witnesses; and generally to be heard by the Election Court," the act states.
The law requires that the Election Court make a determination on the protest votes. In the event that the Court approves any such votes as legally cast, the protest votes shall be deemed to be regular votes and taken into account and added to the regular votes cast in favor of each candidate, and the returning officer shall declare the final result of the poll.
This morning's results were anti-climactic for hundreds of PLP and FNM supporters who waited off and on since before 8 a.m. Wednesday for the recount to end.
Except for a break between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday, the counting was non-stop for the 12 polling divisions.
Since early yesterday morning, Progressive Liberal Party leader Perry Christie, who was present nonstop throughout the recount, told The Nassau Guardian that it appeared likely the matter will end up in Election Court.
"We know that after the ballots are counted we have five protest votes, which means really that if Dr. Sands does not have a majority of over four or five votes the protest votes must be and will be counted," Christie said early yesterday.
"If my candidate loses by fewer votes than five, and we then indicate our preparedness to go to the Election Court to have the protest ballots examined, yes, it would automatically go to the Election Court for that adjudication because when you add the protest votes [that our candidate got] it would give him the majority. So it would be a question of whether those votes will in fact be agreed to by the courts, so I think we are headed really as it looks now, to the Election Court."
Christie, who has been in politics for more than 30 years, said he has never seen anything like what played out before, during and after Tuesday's by-election.
"I've said publicly already that there has been an extraordinary amount of intimidation, perceived or otherwise. People felt it and I spoke publicly to it," he said. "There have been...inducements to get people to vote and there are people who have been given jobs and infrastructure improvements and we decried that. But on top of that the voting process itself was really much to be desired. And look how long we've been trying to arrive at a determination where people are very, very tired, and so we have to examine this with a view to trying to improve it.
"And I think, quite frankly, that this is time for the political parties — most certainly Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie who've been in elected politics for 32 consecutive years — we have an obligation before we demit office to try to improve the electoral rules in our country so that we can avoid the kinds of problems we now face and we've seen enough signs to know that our system is headed toward being very corrupt and that in itself should be a tremendous warning to us that it is something that we should not accept and we should do something about."
Since 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sands had either been tied with Pinder in the race or up by one, two or three votes in what shaped up to be an extremely grueling and tedious exercise.
When the counting ended at 1 a.m., the unofficial results for polling division 12 remained unchanged. Pinder had 123 votes and Sands had 108.
Both the PLP and FNM had lawyers on hand during the recount, arguing over the last two days.
Sands has no protest votes. But the Bahamas Democratic Movement's Cassius Stuart has one.
February 19, 2010
thenassauguardian
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Elizabeth by-election: Message sent by high number of absent Elizabeth voters
By Brent Dean ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ brentldean@nasguard.com:
The decision by more than 1,700 registered voters not to participate in the Elizabeth by-election may indicate that a significant block of Bahamians either rejected, or are not interested in, the message being offered by either the Free National Movement or the Progressive Liberal Party.
When the recount is over, the winner of the by-election would have received just over 30 percent of the registered votes in the area.
With the PLP and the FNM having national base support somewhere between 30 and 40 percent each, it appears that not even all of the faithful showed up to vote on Tuesday.
The Bahamas is going through one of its worse economic periods since Independence. As a result of the global recession thousands of Bahamians are out of work. The level of violent crime in the country has also hit record levels.
In this context, an opposition party should be able to defeat the governing party in a by-election, in a classic swing seat.
The Christie-led PLP could not do this.
Conversely, it could be argued that the FNM should have done better. The PLP has moved from controversy to controversy since the last general election.
One PLP member of Parliament (Kenyatta Gibson) crossed the floor of the House of Assembly and joined the FNM; another (Malcolm Adderley) resigned, criticizing Christie; and former party senator (Pleasant Bridgewater) is about to face retrial on attempted extortion charges.
Neither party could use the strong negatives against the other to distance itself in this race. The voters in this swing seat have perceived little to no difference between the major parties.
The Elizabeth vote should force both leaders back to the drawing board to find new messages, policies and platforms if they are serious about running in 2012.
The results show that the Elizabeth campaign did not inspire.
However, what the results also show is that no matter how dissatisfied Bahamians may be with the PLP and the FNM, they will not support a third party.
The youthful enthusiasm of Cassius Stuart and Dr. Andre Rollins should be applauded. But if either man wants to ever sit in the House, he must put on either a yellow or red shirt.
This deep conservatism - Bahamians not being willing to try a third force - has a consequence. If Bahamians will not vote for others, then there is no pressure on either the PLP or FNM to reform their message; and there is also no pressure on the major parties to change the faces that lead the organization.
In this equation the major parties only need to defeat each other rather than seek to court voters.
Some observers argue that the number of voters who did not show up on Tuesday is likely less that 1,700. It is true that some people on the 2007 register may have moved or died since then.
This, though, would only reduce the number of non-voters by a few hundred.
The PLP and FNM must now face the reality that the degree of voter apathy in Elizabeth may exist in swing seats across the country.
The parties must determine if their message (or messengers) no longer appeal to voters.
Now, a saving grace for the major parties may be that many Elizabeth voters stayed at home waiting for the next general election, as they know that Tuesday's result will not change the overall balance of power in Parliament.
February 18, 2010
thenassauguardian
The decision by more than 1,700 registered voters not to participate in the Elizabeth by-election may indicate that a significant block of Bahamians either rejected, or are not interested in, the message being offered by either the Free National Movement or the Progressive Liberal Party.
When the recount is over, the winner of the by-election would have received just over 30 percent of the registered votes in the area.
With the PLP and the FNM having national base support somewhere between 30 and 40 percent each, it appears that not even all of the faithful showed up to vote on Tuesday.
The Bahamas is going through one of its worse economic periods since Independence. As a result of the global recession thousands of Bahamians are out of work. The level of violent crime in the country has also hit record levels.
In this context, an opposition party should be able to defeat the governing party in a by-election, in a classic swing seat.
The Christie-led PLP could not do this.
Conversely, it could be argued that the FNM should have done better. The PLP has moved from controversy to controversy since the last general election.
One PLP member of Parliament (Kenyatta Gibson) crossed the floor of the House of Assembly and joined the FNM; another (Malcolm Adderley) resigned, criticizing Christie; and former party senator (Pleasant Bridgewater) is about to face retrial on attempted extortion charges.
Neither party could use the strong negatives against the other to distance itself in this race. The voters in this swing seat have perceived little to no difference between the major parties.
The Elizabeth vote should force both leaders back to the drawing board to find new messages, policies and platforms if they are serious about running in 2012.
The results show that the Elizabeth campaign did not inspire.
However, what the results also show is that no matter how dissatisfied Bahamians may be with the PLP and the FNM, they will not support a third party.
The youthful enthusiasm of Cassius Stuart and Dr. Andre Rollins should be applauded. But if either man wants to ever sit in the House, he must put on either a yellow or red shirt.
This deep conservatism - Bahamians not being willing to try a third force - has a consequence. If Bahamians will not vote for others, then there is no pressure on either the PLP or FNM to reform their message; and there is also no pressure on the major parties to change the faces that lead the organization.
In this equation the major parties only need to defeat each other rather than seek to court voters.
Some observers argue that the number of voters who did not show up on Tuesday is likely less that 1,700. It is true that some people on the 2007 register may have moved or died since then.
This, though, would only reduce the number of non-voters by a few hundred.
The PLP and FNM must now face the reality that the degree of voter apathy in Elizabeth may exist in swing seats across the country.
The parties must determine if their message (or messengers) no longer appeal to voters.
Now, a saving grace for the major parties may be that many Elizabeth voters stayed at home waiting for the next general election, as they know that Tuesday's result will not change the overall balance of power in Parliament.
February 18, 2010
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Elizabeth by-election: FNM ahead by one vote
tribune242:
ONE vote decided the winner of the hotly contested Elizabeth by-election, unofficially leaving the FNM's Duane Sands as the representative for the area vacated by the PLP's Malcolm Adderley last month.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister and leader of the FNM Hubert Ingraham said that the governing party would not be declaring victory just yet, admitting that things can go "either way" following today's recount.
As The Tribune predicted, the election came right down to the wire as Dr Sands unofficially won the contest with a total of 1,501, beating his closest contender PLP Ryan Pinder, who obtained 1,500 votes.
In the end third party candidates and low turn out made a huge difference in this election.
While typically for a general election the voter turn out is in the 90 per cent range, approximately 64 per cent of voters turned out on Tuesday.
Altogether third party candidates gathered a total of 141 votes. Literally had any of these votes cast for the NDP, BDM or Workers' Party gone to the PLP or FNM it could have been a game changer.
However, yesterday's "official unofficial results" left FNM's cautiously optimistic and PLPs saying they were not willing to give up as yet.
Returning officer Jack Thompson told The Tribune yesterday that there would be no official recount until today.
There were a lot of factors at play in the Elizabeth by-election, among which is the issue of contested and protest ballots. While the challenged votes were included in the tally, the protested votes were not.
According to Mr Thompson, voters whose names were on the register, but were disputed by party agents, were challenged and required to swear an oath.
Voters whose names were not on the register or had questionable voter cards were protested and required to vote on coloured ballots.
Mr Thompson did not have the official numbers of challenged or protested votes up to press time.
Weeks ago, members of each contending party in the by-election raised an alarm over irregularities with the voting register published by the Parliamentary Registration Department.
Party members claimed they were unable to find hundreds of people on the register during house-to-house visitations. They were not satisfied everyone on the list had lived in the constituency for three months.
One of the biggest side stories of this election was Tommy Turnquest's revelation at an FNM rally the night before that 35-year-old Ryan Pinder had never voted in the Bahamas but had deemed it important to vote in two US elections.
This fact left Mr Pinder vulnerable to open mocking by his opponents.
FNM Chairman Carl Bethel said when Ryan Pinder arrived at Thelma Gibson yesterday morning, the FNM supporters gathered outside sang the US national anthem.
When their candidate Dr Duane Sands arrived, the group sang the Bahamian national anthem.
NDP candidate Dr Andre Rollins said that he was embarrassed for Mr Pinder.
Dr Rollins said that had the FNM come out with this information sooner, the PLP candidate would have never been able to overcome it.
PLP candidate Ryan Pinder called Tommy Turnquest's revelation about his voting history "gutter politics" and said he was not going to respond.
However, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said this was nothing but FNM "propaganda" that was being used as a "red herring" to distract PLPs.
Roberts said it was "not a big deal" and that Turnquest's comments were not a matter of any substance. He further suggested that Pinder had renounced his US citizenship before he nominated and that the FNM was aware of this all along.
PLP Deputy Leader Philip "Brave" Davis chiming in on his candidate's voting history said he thought it was disingenuous of the FNM to reveal this information at the last minute giving Ryan Pinder no chance to respond.
He pointed out that during the time in question, Pinder was living and working in the United States and so would not have had the residency required to vote in a Bahamian election.
There were no major disturbances yesterday but police had to be called to quiet rowdy FNM and PLP supporters who gathered outside the polling station at Faith Temple, where the votes were tallied.
Tensions were mounting with supporters of both parties shouting at each other and becoming increasingly aggressive.
The man who was the catalyst for all the excitement on Tuesday, former PLP MP for Elizabeth, Malcolm Adderley, was suspiciously quiet and spent the day away from the spotlight.
When contacted by The Tribune he refused to comment on the election proceedings, saying, "I'm not speaking today."
The election was plagued by low voter turnout and throughout the day swing voters said they were still unsure of who they were throwing their support behind.
The low voter turn out concerned both parties with leader of the opposition, Perry Christie, saying he and his members were getting anxious because voter turnout has been so low.
BDM candidate Cassius Stewart suspects the voter turnout was low because many of the people who appeared on the register weren't actually eligible to vote.
He said if a better analysis of the registry could be done, it may reveal that turnout among eligible voters could be closer to 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, supporters of both major parties are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this morning's recount.
February 17, 2010
tribune242
ONE vote decided the winner of the hotly contested Elizabeth by-election, unofficially leaving the FNM's Duane Sands as the representative for the area vacated by the PLP's Malcolm Adderley last month.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister and leader of the FNM Hubert Ingraham said that the governing party would not be declaring victory just yet, admitting that things can go "either way" following today's recount.
As The Tribune predicted, the election came right down to the wire as Dr Sands unofficially won the contest with a total of 1,501, beating his closest contender PLP Ryan Pinder, who obtained 1,500 votes.
In the end third party candidates and low turn out made a huge difference in this election.
While typically for a general election the voter turn out is in the 90 per cent range, approximately 64 per cent of voters turned out on Tuesday.
Altogether third party candidates gathered a total of 141 votes. Literally had any of these votes cast for the NDP, BDM or Workers' Party gone to the PLP or FNM it could have been a game changer.
However, yesterday's "official unofficial results" left FNM's cautiously optimistic and PLPs saying they were not willing to give up as yet.
Returning officer Jack Thompson told The Tribune yesterday that there would be no official recount until today.
There were a lot of factors at play in the Elizabeth by-election, among which is the issue of contested and protest ballots. While the challenged votes were included in the tally, the protested votes were not.
According to Mr Thompson, voters whose names were on the register, but were disputed by party agents, were challenged and required to swear an oath.
Voters whose names were not on the register or had questionable voter cards were protested and required to vote on coloured ballots.
Mr Thompson did not have the official numbers of challenged or protested votes up to press time.
Weeks ago, members of each contending party in the by-election raised an alarm over irregularities with the voting register published by the Parliamentary Registration Department.
Party members claimed they were unable to find hundreds of people on the register during house-to-house visitations. They were not satisfied everyone on the list had lived in the constituency for three months.
One of the biggest side stories of this election was Tommy Turnquest's revelation at an FNM rally the night before that 35-year-old Ryan Pinder had never voted in the Bahamas but had deemed it important to vote in two US elections.
This fact left Mr Pinder vulnerable to open mocking by his opponents.
FNM Chairman Carl Bethel said when Ryan Pinder arrived at Thelma Gibson yesterday morning, the FNM supporters gathered outside sang the US national anthem.
When their candidate Dr Duane Sands arrived, the group sang the Bahamian national anthem.
NDP candidate Dr Andre Rollins said that he was embarrassed for Mr Pinder.
Dr Rollins said that had the FNM come out with this information sooner, the PLP candidate would have never been able to overcome it.
PLP candidate Ryan Pinder called Tommy Turnquest's revelation about his voting history "gutter politics" and said he was not going to respond.
However, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said this was nothing but FNM "propaganda" that was being used as a "red herring" to distract PLPs.
Roberts said it was "not a big deal" and that Turnquest's comments were not a matter of any substance. He further suggested that Pinder had renounced his US citizenship before he nominated and that the FNM was aware of this all along.
PLP Deputy Leader Philip "Brave" Davis chiming in on his candidate's voting history said he thought it was disingenuous of the FNM to reveal this information at the last minute giving Ryan Pinder no chance to respond.
He pointed out that during the time in question, Pinder was living and working in the United States and so would not have had the residency required to vote in a Bahamian election.
There were no major disturbances yesterday but police had to be called to quiet rowdy FNM and PLP supporters who gathered outside the polling station at Faith Temple, where the votes were tallied.
Tensions were mounting with supporters of both parties shouting at each other and becoming increasingly aggressive.
The man who was the catalyst for all the excitement on Tuesday, former PLP MP for Elizabeth, Malcolm Adderley, was suspiciously quiet and spent the day away from the spotlight.
When contacted by The Tribune he refused to comment on the election proceedings, saying, "I'm not speaking today."
The election was plagued by low voter turnout and throughout the day swing voters said they were still unsure of who they were throwing their support behind.
The low voter turn out concerned both parties with leader of the opposition, Perry Christie, saying he and his members were getting anxious because voter turnout has been so low.
BDM candidate Cassius Stewart suspects the voter turnout was low because many of the people who appeared on the register weren't actually eligible to vote.
He said if a better analysis of the registry could be done, it may reveal that turnout among eligible voters could be closer to 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, supporters of both major parties are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this morning's recount.
February 17, 2010
tribune242
Elizabeth by-election: 1,700 voters a no-show
By Krystel Rolle ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ krystel@nasguard.com:
More than 1,700 people registered to vote in yesterday's historic by-election were a no-show.
There are 4,943 people on the register. However, according to the unofficial figures only 3,210 people cast their votes yesterday.
In addition to the Progressive Liberal Party's Ryan Pinder and the Free National Movement's Dr. Duane Sands, candidates in the by-election included Bahamas Democratic Movement leader Cassius Stuart, Workers Party leader Rodney Moncur and National Development Party chairman Dr. Andre Rollins.
The unofficial results show that Sands received 1,501 votes, Pinder got 1,500 votes, Stuart got 115 votes, Rollins received 73 votes and Moncur got 21 votes.
The Elizabeth seat became vacant last month when former PLP MP Malcolm Adderley resigned from the House of Assembly. He also resigned from the party.
In polling division number one, Sands received 108 votes; Pinder got 91 votes; Stuart got nine votes; Rollins received four votes and Moncur got two votes.
In polling division number two, Pinder received 145 votes; Sands got 111 votes; Stuart received five votes; Rollins got three votes while Moncur did not get any votes.
In polling division number three, Pinder got 141 votes; Sands received 134 votes; Stuart got 14 votes; Rollins got eight votes and Moncur got three votes.
In polling division number four, Sands received 188 votes; Pinder got 164 votes; Rollins got nine votes; Stuart got six votes, and Moncur received three votes.
In polling division number five, Sands got 106 votes; Pinder received 62 votes; Stuart received 16 votes; Rollins received six votes and Moncur got one vote.
In polling division number six, Sands got 157 votes; Pinder received 121 votes; Rollins got 11 votes; Stuart got nine votes and Moncur received one vote.
In polling division number seven, Pinder received 129 votes; Sands got 123 votes; Stuart and Rollins got two votes each, and Moncur got one vote.
In polling division number eight, Sands got 129 votes; Pinder received 106 votes; Stuart got nine votes; Rollins got five votes and Moncur got three votes.
In polling division number nine, Pinder got 86 votes; Sands got 85 votes; Stuart received 11 votes; Rollins received six votes and Moncur got two votes.
In polling division number 10, Pinder got 168 votes; Sands got 130 votes; Rollins got 12 votes; Stuart received 10 votes and Moncur got four votes.
In polling division number 11, Pinder got 164 votes; Sands received 122 votes; Stuart got 13 votes; Rollins got six votes while Moncur didn't get any votes.
In polling division number 12, Pinder received 123 votes; Sands got 108 votes; Stuart got 11 votes and Moncur and Rollins got one vote each.
Returning Officer Jack Thompson said five of Pinder's votes were challenged and were not counted last night.
Thompson added that one of Stuart's votes was also challenged.
Election officials will recount the ballots today.
February 17, 2010
thenassauguardian
More than 1,700 people registered to vote in yesterday's historic by-election were a no-show.
There are 4,943 people on the register. However, according to the unofficial figures only 3,210 people cast their votes yesterday.
In addition to the Progressive Liberal Party's Ryan Pinder and the Free National Movement's Dr. Duane Sands, candidates in the by-election included Bahamas Democratic Movement leader Cassius Stuart, Workers Party leader Rodney Moncur and National Development Party chairman Dr. Andre Rollins.
The unofficial results show that Sands received 1,501 votes, Pinder got 1,500 votes, Stuart got 115 votes, Rollins received 73 votes and Moncur got 21 votes.
The Elizabeth seat became vacant last month when former PLP MP Malcolm Adderley resigned from the House of Assembly. He also resigned from the party.
In polling division number one, Sands received 108 votes; Pinder got 91 votes; Stuart got nine votes; Rollins received four votes and Moncur got two votes.
In polling division number two, Pinder received 145 votes; Sands got 111 votes; Stuart received five votes; Rollins got three votes while Moncur did not get any votes.
In polling division number three, Pinder got 141 votes; Sands received 134 votes; Stuart got 14 votes; Rollins got eight votes and Moncur got three votes.
In polling division number four, Sands received 188 votes; Pinder got 164 votes; Rollins got nine votes; Stuart got six votes, and Moncur received three votes.
In polling division number five, Sands got 106 votes; Pinder received 62 votes; Stuart received 16 votes; Rollins received six votes and Moncur got one vote.
In polling division number six, Sands got 157 votes; Pinder received 121 votes; Rollins got 11 votes; Stuart got nine votes and Moncur received one vote.
In polling division number seven, Pinder received 129 votes; Sands got 123 votes; Stuart and Rollins got two votes each, and Moncur got one vote.
In polling division number eight, Sands got 129 votes; Pinder received 106 votes; Stuart got nine votes; Rollins got five votes and Moncur got three votes.
In polling division number nine, Pinder got 86 votes; Sands got 85 votes; Stuart received 11 votes; Rollins received six votes and Moncur got two votes.
In polling division number 10, Pinder got 168 votes; Sands got 130 votes; Rollins got 12 votes; Stuart received 10 votes and Moncur got four votes.
In polling division number 11, Pinder got 164 votes; Sands received 122 votes; Stuart got 13 votes; Rollins got six votes while Moncur didn't get any votes.
In polling division number 12, Pinder received 123 votes; Sands got 108 votes; Stuart got 11 votes and Moncur and Rollins got one vote each.
Returning Officer Jack Thompson said five of Pinder's votes were challenged and were not counted last night.
Thompson added that one of Stuart's votes was also challenged.
Election officials will recount the ballots today.
February 17, 2010
thenassauguardian
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)