PM: Amendments to prevent widespread changes to electoral boundaries

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a stark warning regarding the necessity of legislative reforms to address electoral boundary issues in Barbados. On Tuesday, Mottley introduced two significant bills—the Constitution Amendment Bill and the Parliament Miscellaneous Provisions Bill—to the House of Assembly. These measures aim to empower the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to rectify what she termed ‘an error from years past.’ The last adjustments to constituency boundaries occurred in 2003, with prior changes dating back to 1991. Mottley emphasized that the demographic shifts in Barbados have rendered the current constituency framework outdated, necessitating drastic boundary revisions that could make many constituencies ‘unrecognizable.’ Under the existing constitutional mandate, constituency populations must remain within a 10% variance of each other. However, the EBC has recommended expanding this range to 20% (80% to 120%) to better reflect current demographic realities. Mottley highlighted significant population movements into regions such as St Philip, St Thomas, Christ Church, St George, and St Peter over the past two decades. In a related development, the EBC recently announced the removal of over 8,000 individuals from the voters’ list, including 4,923 deemed to have resided overseas for more than five years and 3,367 confirmed deceased. The commission has urged citizens to verify their electoral details, particularly if they have relocated, ensuring no one is disenfranchised due to missed enumeration visits.