分类： politics

WATCH: UPP Chairman expects election loss, plans resignation, PM says

With less than two weeks remaining until Antigua and Barbuda’s general election on April 30, political tensions have spiked after incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne made explosive claims about the leadership of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP).

In an interview with local outlet Pointe FM, Browne publicly alleged that UPP Chairperson D Gisele Isaac has privately told close confidants that she expects her party to face a devastating defeat in the upcoming polls, and intends to step down from her leadership role immediately after the results are confirmed.

According to Browne, Isaac’s internal assessment is that the UPP enters the election deeply unprepared to unseat his governing Labour Party, and the party is far behind the incumbent in both organizational capacity and voter support. He quoted Isaac as stating the UPP would be fortunate to win as many as three legislative seats, with the even grimmer possibility that the party could be completely shut out of parliament entirely.

“I think they themselves recognize that they can’t win, because they did not prepare themselves to win,” Browne told listeners of the radio program. He added, “She said that… they’ll be lucky if they win no more than three seats,” extending the assessment to include the possibility of the party losing every seat it currently holds.

Browne’s claims are based on secondhand information he received from an unnamed third party, he confirmed. “He said… immediately after the elections, after the UPP would have lost, that she will resign,” Browne stated, when outlining the alleged plan.

The prime minister acknowledged that Isaac is likely to reject his account publicly, but he doubled down on the accuracy of his remarks, leaning on his public track record to argue that he is a reliable source of information for voters. “I expect her to come and say what I say is not true… but the people… trust me to talk the truth,” he said.

Beyond the claims about Isaac’s private views and resignation plan, Browne also painted the opposition as increasingly frantic in the final stretch of the campaign. He argued that growing internal panic has pushed UPP to ramp up a wave of unaffordable, unworkable campaign promises to win over undecided voters. “There’s desperation taking place within that party. They’re going to promise everything,” Browne said, noting that many of the party’s proposed policy changes would be “not doable” if the party took power.

Browne’s remarks come as campaign activity across the country reaches a fever pitch. The two major political parties are currently vying for voter support by laying out starkly competing policy agendas, focused heavily on key voter priorities including national economic growth, tax reform, and relief from the rising cost of living that has impacted households across the nation in recent months.

19 4 月, 2026
Browne Accuses UPP of Misleading Voters With Recycled Policies

As the countdown to Antigua and Barbuda’s April 30 general election begins, incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne has launched a sharp critique of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), dismissing its slate of campaign pledges as unrealistic, repackaged proposals designed to court voters through reckless handouts rather than thoughtful, actionable governance.

During a recent interview on local radio station Pointe FM, Browne broke down his criticism of the opposition’s policy agenda, arguing that UPP’s platform lacks both strategic vision and policy coherence. The prime minister emphasized that many of the party’s high-profile promises have not undergone rigorous financial modeling, crafted solely to grab public attention without accounting for the severe fiscal strain they would impose on the national budget.

At the center of Browne’s pushback is the UPP’s flagship proposal to eliminate all duties and taxes on motor vehicle purchases. He calculated that this policy alone would strip the government of more than $50 million in critical annual revenue, a loss that would be nearly impossible to offset through alternate funding streams without cutting core public services. Browne noted that after facing public pressure over the proposal’s massive fiscal gap, UPP has since walked back its plan to a more moderate 50% across-the-board reduction in vehicle duties — a change that exposes the original pledge’s lack of preparation.

Browne further pointed out that the governing Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party administration has already implemented the kind of duty concessions the UPP is now claiming as an original initiative. Currently, the government offers a 50% duty reduction on new vehicles for all buyers, and extends full 100% duty exemptions to specific working groups including taxi operators, public school teachers, nurses, and police officers, putting the UPP’s adjusted proposal in line with existing policy.

“This is nothing more than repackaging: the opposition is promising something that is already law and practice in our country,” Browne said, accusing UPP of intentionally misleading voters to win support ahead of the vote. He used the colloquial term “mamaguy the people” to characterize the opposition’s tactic of deceptive, empty campaigning.

The prime minister made clear that his administration will not enter a race to outbid the opposition on unfunded giveaways, rejecting calls to match UPP’s pledges with equally costly promises. “We will not get drawn into their giveaway war. Our approach will be responsive to public needs, but it will also be measured and responsible,” he stated, adding that his government will remain focused on delivering sustainable policies that deliver long-term empowerment to workers and all segments of the national population.

Browne’s comments come as all political parties ramp up their campaign activities in the lead-up to the end-of-April poll, with public debate dominated by competing plans to address taxation, ease the rising cost of living, and steer the national economy through ongoing global headwinds.

19 4 月, 2026
LETTER: Election Vandalism Sparks Call for Respectful Election Conduct

As pre-election political tensions rise across Antigua and Barbuda, a prominent political figure has sounded the alarm over a recent act of destructive vandalism in Freeman’s Village, calling for immediate, widespread condemnation of the attack on a political billboard. In an open letter addressed to the press, Glenford Peters framed the incident as far more than a minor case of property destruction, arguing that it strikes at the core of the island nation’s long-held democratic values.

Peters emphasized that acts of vandalism targeting campaign materials, which have become increasingly common during this heated election cycle, pose a direct threat to the fundamental democratic right to free expression. Antigua and Barbuda, he noted, built its national identity on a legacy of resilience, grassroots struggle, and the hard-won right to self-determination. That history, he argued, creates a binding obligation for political opponents to treat one another with basic respect, even when their ideological positions diverge sharply.

Contrary to the idea that democratic participation demands uniform political alignment, Peters pointed out that the system is built on tolerance, open dialogue between competing camps, and the maturity to accept that other people and groups have every right to hold perspectives that differ from one’s own. What makes the current wave of vandalism so concerning, he added, is that it signals a worrying departure from the tradition of healthy, respectful political competition the nation has worked to build, shifting the political landscape toward open hostility and deep, unnecessary division.

Destroying opposing parties’ campaign materials, silencing alternative political voices, and intimidating supporters of rival candidates does nothing to strengthen any political cause, Peters stressed. Instead, it erodes the integrity of the democratic process for every citizen, regardless of political affiliation. He called on all political actors and ordinary voters across the country to reject these destructive acts of intimidation, and instead work collectively to build a national political culture rooted in mutual respect.

Peters argued that it is entirely possible for citizens and politicians to hold firm to their own political beliefs while still upholding the right of others to advocate for their own positions. Disagreement, he noted, is a healthy and inevitable part of democracy, but that does not require personal or destructive conflict between opponents. At this pivotal juncture in Antigua and Barbuda’s national development, Peters urged the entire nation to come together, setting aside conflict in favor of unity, mutual understanding, and a shared commitment to the democratic values that unite all citizens of the country.

19 4 月, 2026
Gajadien: Zonder kansen voor jongeren groeit wereldwijde instabiliteit

At the 152nd General Assembly and a working session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG), Asis Gajadien, parliamentary group leader of Suriname’s Progressive Voters Party (VHP) and member of the Surinamese National Assembly, has urged the global community to launch coordinated, targeted international action to address youth marginalization and the global youth employment crisis.

Gajadien, who joined the Surinamese parliamentary delegation to the IPU meeting hosted in Turkey, warned that overlapping global crises – from ongoing armed conflicts across multiple regions to widespread post-pandemic economic instability – are eroding the future prospects of young generations worldwide. He emphasized that the persistent lack of sustainable, dignified work for young people does not only harm individual livelihoods; it also fuels simmering social tension, weakens community resilience, and erodes public trust in democratic and governmental institutions.

The Surinamese lawmaker argued that global policy frameworks must explicitly recognize the interconnected nature of armed conflict, economic disruption, and soaring youth unemployment. He positioned decent work as a core foundation for long-term sustainable peace, arguing that this goal can only be achieved through strengthened, inclusive international cooperation. “A generation robbed of future opportunity is a risk the world simply cannot afford to take,” Gajadien stated during his address.

Turning to the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism during the HLAG session, Gajadien stressed that these threats cannot be separated from systemic economic inequality, social exclusion, and the lack of long-term perspective for disenfranchised young people. He pushed back against relying solely on repressive security measures to counter extremism, noting that such approaches fail to address the underlying conditions that drive radicalization.

Instead, Gajadien called for targeted investments in robust public institutions, inclusive economic development, and expanded access to economic opportunity as a long-term, structural solution to prevent radical recruitment. He also drew attention to the growing role of digital platforms in spreading extremist ideology online, highlighting the urgent need for balanced regulatory legislation that protects public safety while upholding fundamental human rights and digital freedoms.

Across his remarks, Gajadien advocated for a cohesive, integrated global approach to tackling these linked challenges, arguing that security, sustainable development, and the rule of law are inherently interconnected and cannot be advanced independently of one another.

19 4 月, 2026
PAAC flags Opposition senator’s conduct

A high-stakes parliamentary controversy has emerged in the wake of a damning special committee report that calls attention to serious alleged ethical breaches by an opposition senator tied to a government pharmaceutical acquisition inquiry. The Special Report from the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), chaired by House Speaker Jagdeo Singh, was formally tabled in Parliament Friday, and has set the stage for a heated debate on the senator’s conduct scheduled for this week.

The PAAC launched its ongoing probe to examine the state’s pharmaceutical importation and regulatory approval processes, with a focus on alleged impropriety surrounding government contracts. During public and closed-door hearings, multiple claims emerged against former Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, including accusations that he pressured the National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd (Nipdec) to prioritize fast-track payment arrangements for a large pharmaceutical firm. Deyalsingh was subsequently called to submit formal evidence to the committee in response to these allegations.

According to the PAAC’s findings, digital forensic analysis of a document Deyalsingh submitted on April 8 revealed that tracked edits to the memorandum could be traced directly to Opposition Senator Janelle John-Bates, who currently sits as a voting member of the investigative committee. Metadata from the document further indicates that John-Bates assisted in drafting the entire submission ahead of a critical closed-door PAAC meeting held on March 25. When confronted with this electronic evidence, the senator openly admitted to her involvement in editing and preparing the document, the report confirms.

The special report argues that John-Bates’ actions violate the core expectation of impartiality required of committee members, and amount to a coordinated conspiracy to commit contempt of Parliament. The committee said it is “concerned and troubled” by John-Bates’ behavior, which has cast a shadow over the integrity of the inquiry’s proceedings. It has formally recommended that John-Bates be immediately recused from the pharmaceutical investigation or replaced entirely on the committee, noting that her admission of making material edits to a witness’s evidence leaves no room for dispute over her involvement.

Following the revelation of her actions, John-Bates requested additional time to seek formal advice and explore her procedural options, committing to provide a formal response to the committee by April 20, 2026. The committee granted this request and adjourned its regular proceedings, but an emergency PAAC meeting was called just four days later, on April 16, after multiple members raised alarms that confidential closed-door committee proceedings had been leaked to the public—a clear violation of standing orders for both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

During that emergency session, the committee reviewed the emerging allegations of bias against John-Bates, assessed the public interest implications of the scandal, and mapped out next steps for the inquiry. Ahead of the meeting, on April 15, John-Bates had sent a formal letter to PAAC Chair Jagdeo Singh addressing the alleged disclosure of confidential proceedings, requesting that a full independent inquiry be launched to determine if any standing orders or committee protocols had been broken. She also requested formal notification of the specific breaches she is alleged to have committed, and the exact sections of parliamentary standing orders that are said to apply to her case.

The PAAC’s majority report confirms that plans are already in motion to remove John-Bates from the investigative committee and replace her with another opposition senator. Beyond her committee seat, the report warns that John-Bates’ continued presence as a sitting member of the Senate could create discomfort among other parliamentary representatives and ultimately erode public trust in the effective functioning of the national legislature. A majority of PAAC members agreed that the senator’s conduct was so “egregious” that it warranted an immediate special report to both chambers of Parliament for full review.

Not all committee members have backed the majority’s findings, however. Opposition MP Camille Robinson-Regis refused to sign the special report, instead submitting a formal minority report that rejects the majority’s conclusions and harshly criticizes the PAAC’s handling of the entire affair. Robinson-Regis pushes back hardest on the claim that John-Bates’ continued participation in the Senate would disrupt parliamentary work, calling the assertion speculative, unsupported by concrete evidence, and constitutionally invalid.

“Parliamentary participation cannot be curtailed on the basis of subjective discomfort,” the minority report states, warning that the majority’s reasoning sets a dangerous procedural precedent for future parliamentary misconduct cases. Robinson-Regis also argues that the committee acted prematurely and unfairly by escalating the matter before John-Bates had the opportunity to submit her formal response after seeking legal advice—a request the majority simply ignored, which the minority says constitutes a direct violation of fundamental natural justice principles.

Robinson-Regis emphasizes that any legislator facing allegations is legally and procedurally entitled to receive clear, specific details of the claims against them and a full opportunity to respond before any binding conclusions are drawn. She also takes the majority to task for its superficial handling of the leak of confidential closed-door proceedings, noting that while the majority acknowledged the breach occurred, its response was “cursory and wholly inadequate.” She criticizes the committee for moving forward with emergency meetings and key disciplinary recommendations without first identifying the source of the leak or assessing its full impact on the inquiry.

Beyond the John-Bates case itself, the minority report outlines a broader pattern of declining parliamentary standards within the PAAC under its current leadership. Robinson-Regis cites multiple troubling lapses in procedure, including the introduction of material that blurs the line between evidence and partisan advocacy, the chair’s willingness to accept and rely on this unvetted material without following proper procedural rules, questioning of witnesses based on content that has not been formally admitted as evidence, an increasingly adversarial and partisan tone to committee hearings, and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential proceedings by a committee insider.

Robinson-Regis points to a 2019/2020 precedent set by the Joint Select Committee on National Security, where serious concerns about a member’s impartiality were handled in what she describes as a “disciplined and proportionate” manner. In that case, the committee only recommended removing the member from the specific investigative committee, rather than calling into question their broader right to participate in parliamentary proceedings. While the minority report stresses that improper conduct by legislators should never be excused, it argues that all disciplinary action must adhere to frameworks of fairness, proportionality, and procedural integrity—standards that it says were completely ignored in the handling of the John-Bates case.

Parliament is expected to take up the debate on the special report and the allegations against John-Bates this week, with partisan tensions already running high over the competing conclusions from the PAAC majority and minority.

19 4 月, 2026
Siren mystery: who gave Guevarro the blue lights?

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) following revelations that newly appointed Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro holds official approval to outfit his privately registered SUV with emergency blue lights and a siren – but key figures at the top of the law enforcement agency cannot confirm who first authorized the rare exemption.

The controversy traces back to February 18, 2025, four months before Guevarro was confirmed as the nation’s top police officer in June 2025. Licensing Division officers pulled over a close relative of Guevarro who was driving the SUV on the southbound lane of Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway near Gasparillo, acting on suspicions the vehicle failed to meet road-worthiness and window tint regulations. During the stop, officers discovered the hidden emergency lights and siren, which were not in use at the time of the stop. When questioned, the driver produced official approval documentation for the equipment issued by a former Transport Commissioner.

Multiple law enforcement sources confirm the initial approval rested on a formal request from a former TTPS Commissioner, but the chain of authorization has become muddled in conflicting and incomplete accounts. When the Sunday Express launched its investigation, Transport Commissioner Clive Clarke – who has held his post since 2020 – clarified that his recent extension of Guevarro’s approval only came after he received an official correspondence from then-Acting TTPS Commissioner Junior Benjamin in early 2025. Clarke emphasized he has never granted any other TTPS officer permission to install emergency equipment on a private vehicle during his tenure, and he has no knowledge of what conditions the prior Transport Commissioner set for the original approval.

Three days after the February traffic stop, Clarke sent a formal letter to Benjamin requesting clarity on three key points: whether Guevarro held the rank of Assistant Superintendent at the time, whether TTPS protocol requires officers of that rank – particularly those assigned to the elite Special Branch intelligence unit – to have emergency equipment on private vehicles, and whether such a requirement applied to Guevarro specifically. In a March 18, 2025 response obtained by the Sunday Express, Benjamin confirmed Guevarro had been promoted to Superintendent and was acting as Senior Superintendent in Special Branch at the time. He noted that TTPS does not mandate emergency equipment for any rank by default, but instead approves such requests on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Police Commissioner. Benjamin justified his support for the approval by pointing to the flexible, high-stakes nature of Special Branch intelligence work, arguing Guevarro needed the emergency equipment to respond to rapidly developing situations regardless of whether he was driving his private vehicle or his assigned official police vehicle. He concluded by requesting the approval be maintained to allow Guevarro continued access to the equipment.

On March 24, 2025, Clarke formalized the two-year approval under Regulations 28(m)(iv) and 49 of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 48:50. The approval sets strict conditions: the equipment must be removed if the vehicle is sold or transferred; the approval documentation must be kept in the vehicle at all times for inspection by police or transport officials; the lights and siren may only be activated during genuine emergencies; the approval does not exempt the vehicle from compliance with other road traffic laws; and all equipment must be removed if Guevarro leaves his current post. The approval is set to expire on March 27, 2027, or when the vehicle is disposed of, whichever comes first.

Despite this paper trail, critical questions remain unanswered. When the Sunday Express contacted Junior Benjamin, who was acting Commissioner when the renewed approval was processed, to ask about the original authorization that preceded his 2025 letter, he replied that he could not honestly remember who first recommended the exemption to the former Transport Commissioner. Repeated attempts to get comment from Guevarro himself also failed to resolve the ambiguity. In a brief WhatsApp response to the outlet’s crime reporter, Guevarro only stated he had no issue with the story and would not attempt to block its publication. No further response was provided to follow-up questions about who authorized the original request or what specific justification was provided for the rare privilege.

Guevarro, a 28-year veteran of the TTPS, has spent the majority of his career in Special Branch, rising steadily through the ranks from junior officer to acting Superintendent of the elite unit before his appointment as Commissioner of Police in June 2025. The lack of transparency around the approval has now sparked ongoing questions about internal protocol and accountability at the highest levels of Trinidad and Tobago’s national police force.

19 4 月, 2026
ULP left HLDC in ‘fragile’ financial situation — report

Nearly five years after the Unity Labour Party (ULP), which held power in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for 25 consecutive years, was voted out of office in November 2021, new details are emerging about the long-term performance of state-owned enterprises that operated under its tenure. The incoming New Democratic Party (NDP) administration has been conducting a quiet, comprehensive review of these public entities, and early findings from the audit point to widespread mismanagement during the previous Ralph Gonsalves-led government.

One of the first entities to face scrutiny is the state-owned Housing and Land Development Corporation (HLDC), a decades-old agency that has operated across successive administrations from both major political parties. Founded to drive planning and development of affordable residential and community land and housing for low-income households across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the agency has been credited with delivering nearly 1,000 homes to vulnerable families over its 50-year history. It also played a key role in post-disaster recovery efforts, including repairing 40 homes severely damaged by Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and the 2021 eruption of the La Soufrière Volcano, and currently has 140 new housing units, including prefabricated units, in the pipeline or earmarked for construction.

Despite this legacy of public service, the NDP administration’s audit reveals a wide range of critical failures in governance, strategic planning and financial management that have left the HLDC in a fragile position. While the agency’s board of directors meets statutory composition requirements, the report documents persistent underperformance, particularly around meeting attendance. In 2025, board meeting attendance fell far below the average for all state-owned enterprises assessed, with many sessions barely reaching the required quorum to conduct official business.

Beyond attendance issues, the audit found no evidence that the HLDC has ever adopted formal strategic planning, a core function for public entities delivering long-term public services. The agency also fails to produce required annual work plans, and has never published statutory annual reports detailing its programmatic activities, as required by law. Its role in managing public-funded affordable housing projects has also shrunk steadily over time: most major government affordable housing initiatives, such as the flagship “Lives to Live” program, are now contracted directly to private construction firms and managed through the Ministry of Housing, sidelining the HLDC entirely. Today, the agency operates largely as a project manager for privately built middle-income housing developments, collecting only administrative and professional fees for its services, the report concludes.

The most serious violation uncovered by the audit is the HLDC’s 14-year gap in completing legally required financial audits. The agency has not published an audited financial statement since 2012, a violation of Act No. 7 of 1976 that the report calls “an adverse reflection on governance, transparency, and financial hygiene.”

Analysis of the HLDC’s internal management accounts from 2021 to 2025 paints a grim picture of the agency’s financial health. Profitability has swung wildly over the five-year period, with the HLDC posting net losses in three of the five years, and an average negative profit margin of 16% across the full period. Revenue, which is almost entirely generated from project activity, has fluctuated drastically: project revenue hit EC$5 million in 2022, plummeted to just EC$532,000 in 2023, fell to zero in 2024, then rose to EC$7 million in 2025. This volatility drove overall annual revenue from a peak of EC$7.33 million in 2022 to just EC$796,663 in 2024, before recovering partially to EC$4.35 million in 2025. Annual net results mirrored this instability: a EC$240,632 profit in 2021, a EC$61,444 loss in 2022, a EC$652,697 profit in 2023, a EC$813,447 loss in 2024, and a EC$209,675 loss in 2025.

As of the end of 2025, the HLDC carries EC$6 million in overdue accounts payable, indicating the agency has consistently failed to settle its outstanding bills by their required due dates. The audit also uncovered a EC$9 million balance in deferred interest on a loan restructured with St. Vincent Cooperative Bank back in 2014; under the restructuring agreement, only principal payments have been made, with all interest payments pushed back, leading to the massive accumulated balance.

While the report notes that the HLDC maintained adequate liquidity over the 2021-2025 review period, with enough current assets to cover short-term obligations, the situation has deteriorated sharply in recent years. By 2025, the agency’s liquidity ratio was barely above the regulatory benchmark, leaving no buffer to absorb unexpected financial shocks. Balance sheet strength has also weakened significantly: shareholders’ equity fell 40% from EC$5 million in 2023 to just EC$3 million at the end of 2025, eroded by annual operating losses and accumulated deficits, leaving taxpayers with a negative return on their public investment.

The HLDC is not the only state-owned enterprise under review by the NDP administration. While an anonymous source with knowledge of the review process declined to name all entities currently being assessed, the source confirmed that the National Lotteries Authority is also part of the audit, noting that preliminary details about the authority’s performance have already been reported in other local media outlets.

While the audit acknowledges that the HLDC has made meaningful contributions to socioeconomic progress, expanding affordable housing access and supporting social inclusion for low-income communities across the country over its decades of operation, it also makes clear that urgent structural and financial reforms are needed to restore the agency to functional, transparent public service.

19 4 月, 2026
Gonsalves knows about changing law to avoid the court — Kay

A high-profile political dispute has erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines over a proposed constitutional amendment, with a former opposition senator bringing forward a years-old allegation of improper legislative maneuvering by current Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves and his Unity Labour Party (ULP).

Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, a former New Democratic Party (NDP) senator and electoral candidate, made the claims while responding to ULP criticism of the sitting NDP government’s plan to amend the constitution to clarify candidate qualification requirements for public office. The controversy comes as the ULP has challenged the eligibility of two sitting NDP politicians — Prime Minister Godwin Friday, who has held a parliamentary seat since 2001, and East Kingstown Member of Parliament Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, who won re-election to a second five-year term — ahead of the November 27, 2025 general election.

The ULP’s two petitions, set for a joint hearing from July 28 to 30, argue that Friday and Bramble are disqualified from running for office because they voluntarily obtained Canadian citizenship, a claim that turns on the interpretation of existing constitutional language around candidate eligibility.

Bacchus-Baptiste acknowledged that the NDP’s amendment proposal comes while the court cases are pending, but pushed back against ULP claims that the change is an improper attempt to influence the legal outcome. To counter the accusation, she recalled a 2000s incident when she and fellow activist Nicole Sylvester brought a legal challenge against a Gonsalves-led ULP government’s EC$1 levy on passengers traveling to the Grenadines via the main ferry terminal.

At the time, Bacchus-Baptiste explained, the ULP administration imposed the fee without any legal authority to collect the charge. When the legal team prepared to file for an injunction to block the collection, the ULP rushed through a new regulation overnight to retroactively legalize the tax — directly pre-empting the court hearing.

“When we were preparing to go to court the morning to deal with the injunction that we were applying for, we were presented with this regulation that they woke up the printery and got it done overnight, the minister, and presented it to us, effectively to bar our injunction,” Bacchus-Baptiste told iWitness News.

The case was appealed to the Court of Appeal but never received a hearing, she said. The fee was eventually withdrawn after Gonsalves faced public pressure to drop the charge, leading Bacchus-Baptiste’s team to withdraw their appeal as the core issue was resolved. Bacchus-Baptiste said the incident proves Gonsalves is fully aware of the tactic of changing legislation to defeat pending court cases — the very action the ULP is now accusing the NDP of taking.

However, the former senator emphasized that the NDP’s current proposal is fundamentally different from the ULP’s 2000s overnight regulatory change. St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ existing electoral law already requires candidates to hold Commonwealth citizenship to run for office, she explained. The amendment only fills a gap in the constitution’s definition section, rather than changing the existing eligibility rule. The clarification, she argued, has long been needed and is not an attempt to alter the rules of the election mid-stream.

Bacchus-Baptiste also noted that the NDP’s current position on the constitutional language aligns with the party’s stance in 2009, when it campaigned against the ULP’s proposed constitutional changes. At that time, Gonsalves and his ULP administration campaigned in favor of the amendments, arguing that the changes would enshrine the right of any Commonwealth citizen residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to run for public office, a position consistent with the NDP’s current clarification push.

19 4 月, 2026
Luke would accept if court gives him seat he’s failed to win 4 times

A long-running political dispute over a parliamentary seat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has taken a new turn, as defeated opposition candidate Luke Browne has publicly stated he is ready to take office if the courts nullify the 2025 general election victory of ruling New Democratic Party (NDP) incumbent Dwight Fitzgerald “Fitz” Bramble.

Browne, a former senator and health minister from the opposition Unity Labour Party (ULP), has lost four consecutive attempts to win the East Kingstown parliamentary seat, with the 2025 poll marking his poorest performance to date. Held on November 27, 2025, the election saw Bramble secure a second five-year term by a margin of 1,001 votes to Browne’s count. Official vote breakdowns show that while Bramble earned 172 more votes in 2025 than he did in his 2010 debut run, Browne received 582 fewer votes than in the 2020 election, even as total turnout dropped by 405 votes overall.

Now, Browne and the ULP have filed an election petition arguing Bramble is constitutionally ineligible to hold the seat, because Bramble holds Canadian citizenship. Under St. Vincent and the Grenadines law, candidates who acknowledge allegiance to a foreign power are barred from serving in Parliament, a charge Browne says applies to Bramble, who obtained citizenship through his own voluntary action. The challenge is not isolated: ULP candidate Carlos Williams has filed a parallel petition against Prime Minister Godwin Friday, who defeated Williams to secure a sixth consecutive term in the Northern Grenadines constituency. Friday won that race by a landslide margin of 1,846 votes, earning 2,185 votes to Williams’ 339.

In an interview broadcast on Hot 97 FM Friday, Browne addressed widespread questions about the legal challenge, confirming he would accept an automatic appointment to the East Kingstown seat if the court rules in his favor, rather than pushing for a new by-election. Browne’s legal position holds that any candidate who was unqualified to run in the first place cannot legally be declared the winner, regardless of election day results. He analogized the situation to Olympic competition: if a race winner is later disqualified for breaking competition rules, the second-place finisher is elevated to champion status by default.

“There’s a good chance that they will be the automatic seating of Carlos Williams and myself,” Browne said during the interview, noting that he would accept the court’s outcome without objection. When pressed on whether he would feel comfortable taking a seat voters did not explicitly award him on election day, Browne pushed back, arguing that he was the only qualified candidate on the East Kingstown ballot. “The people had a right to vote for any of the qualified candidates on election day. It so happens that I was the only qualified candidate in East Kingstown,” he explained.

Browne rejected claims that he is relying on technicalities to seize power, insisting his challenge is rooted in upholding existing constitutional rules. He also hit back at the NDP government’s planned constitutional amendment, scheduled to be introduced to Parliament next Tuesday, which would clarify the legal definition of “foreign power or state”. Browne accuses the NDP of rushing to rewrite the rules after the election to protect its two MPs if the court rules against them. “What they are seeking to do is, by any means necessary, change the rules of the game after the fact,” he said.

The former health minister emphasized that he has always accepted past election outcomes and moved forward, but he is exercising his clear constitutional right to challenge ineligible candidates. He added that if the roles were reversed, the NDP would take the exact same legal action he is pursuing now. The ULP has repeatedly stated that the planned amendment is nothing more than a last-minute insurance policy for the ruling party’s vulnerable elected officials.

19 4 月, 2026
Required Real Estate Agent Licensing in the Dominican Republic: Proposed Law Still in Discussion

The Dominican Republic’s real estate sector stands as one of the most robust and dynamic economic forces in the Caribbean, drawing billions of dollars in combined local and foreign investment annually. Yet for all its economic weight, this high-growth industry has operated for years without a unified, comprehensive regulatory framework governing professional real estate practice—a gap that has opened the door to widespread misconduct that endangers investors and undermines market integrity.

Unqualified, unlicensed practitioners have flooded the unregulated market, bringing with them a rash of deceptive and fraudulent activities. Common bad-faith practices include marketing properties with no valid legal title, launching development projects with false or misleading advertising about amenities, timelines or pricing, and engaging unethical financial arrangements that put both domestic and cross-border investors at severe risk of financial harm. Without formal regulation, buyers and investors have no guaranteed legal recourse when they fall victim to these scams, leaving many to absorb devastating, irreversible financial losses.

To close this regulatory gap and root out systemic misconduct, lawmakers and industry leaders have advanced a landmark real estate regulation bill that would place all licensed practitioners under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED) through its dedicated Department of Registration, Control, and Real Estate Intermediation.

According to Alberto Bogaert, president of the Dominican Association of Real Estate Companies and Agents (AEI), the bill has been under active review in both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies since 2023, but has yet to receive a final approval vote. Bogaert notes that three core barriers have stalled the legislation: limited legislative prioritization among other national policy goals, low awareness among lawmakers of the real estate sector’s outsized contribution to the national economy, and insufficient coordinated institutional pressure to advance the bill through the full legislative process. Over the past three years, AEI has held repeated meetings with key legislative committees to emphasize the urgent need for the reform, but it remains classified as a non-priority within the country’s broader national investment regulatory framework, despite open support from government officials for the initiative.

If ultimately enacted, the bill would enact sweeping changes to market operation, starting with a mandatory national licensing requirement for all real estate agents, promoters and developers. No professional would be allowed to facilitate property transactions or market real estate assets without first securing official authorization from the regulatory body.

A core focus of the legislation is increasing market transparency, with a formal definition of misleading advertising that covers misleading claims across both digital and traditional media related to a property’s features, availability, pricing, project delivery timelines, and sales terms. Additional provisions prohibit agents from engaging in transactions for properties they do not hold legal rights to, as well as the misuse of client deposit funds—all designed to strengthen consumer protection and rebuild public trust in the sector.

To enforce compliance, the bill outlines strict penalties for violations, including fines of up to 50 times the national minimum wage and temporary suspension of operating licenses for repeat or severe misconduct. The legislation also explicitly bans a range of unethical practices: unauthorized purchase of properties that an agent has been contracted to sell, artificial manipulation or simulation of offers to inflate or manipulate property prices, and charging hidden fees or unwritten commissions that were not pre-disclosed and agreed to by clients.

Agents will also face legal liability if they recommend a transaction they know carries significant legal or financial risk without advising their client to retain independent legal counsel, a standard designed to reinforce that professional due diligence is a core requirement of ethical practice. All agents will be required to disclose all relevant terms to clients before initiating any transaction, embedding transparency into every step of the property process. Finally, the law will formalize legal recognition for all documented contracts covering property transfer, lease, and usufruct, including payment, contribution and exchange arrangements, bringing long-overdue legal clarity to real estate transactions across the country.

19 4 月, 2026