The opposition Unity Labour Party (ULP) on Friday filed two election petitions challenging the election of Godwin Friday as parliamentary representative for the Northern Grenadines, and Fitz Bramble as East Kingstown MP.
iWitness News has confirmed that the petitions were filed by Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, the ULP Northern Grenadines and East Kingstown candidate in the Nov. 27 general election.
They are asking the court to find that the elections of Friday and Bramble are invalid because they were not qualified to be nominated as candidates, as they hold Canadian citizenship.
Friday has been representing the Northern Grenadines since March 2001 and Bramble was first elected to Parliament in November 2020.
The nomination of Friday — who is now the prime minister, and Bramble, now the minister of foreign affairs — was an issue leading up to the Nov. 27 general election, which the New Democratic Party won, taking 14 of the parliamentary seats, while the ULP won the remaining seat.
Leading up to the vote, notices were published in the media, urging constituents not to vote for either candidate.
The respective notices to constituents of Northern Grenadines and East Kingstown said that voting for the NDP candidate in each of those constituencies amounted to “A WASTED VOTE”.
The notices said each of the candidates “is not qualified to be elected as a member of Parliament”, and pointed to section 26 (1) of the Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which says:
“No person shall be qualified to be elected or appointed as a Representative or Senator (hereinafter in this section referred to as a “member”) if he —
(a) is by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state”.
The notices pointed out that the statutory declaration that a candidate is required to sign states:
“That I am duly qualified to be elected as a member of the House of Assembly for this constituency, and that — … I am not by virtue of my own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state”.
The notices pointed out that Friday and Bramble are each citizens of Canada.
“Canada is a foreign state,” adding that such citizenship was not forced on Friday or Bramble.
“He voluntarily applied for and obtained Canadian citizenship and a Canadian passport, and he has been using the passport. He was therefore on nomination day under an acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign state namely, Canada, by virtue of his own act of applying for Canadian citizenship and a Canadian passport, and the using of the passport. He is therefore absolutely disqualified from being elected as a member of the House of Assembly,” the notices said.
They said that in the case of each candidate, an objection by electors of the Northern Grenadines and East Kingstown, respectively, was lodged to his nomination on Nomination Day, Nov. 10.
“Do not be fooled, nomination as a candidate for election is a legal prerequisite to election, and a valid nomination is a legal prerequisite to being validly elected. The nomination of a person who is not qualified to be elected is not a valid,” the notice said, adding that constituents can be assured that the nomination of Friday and Bramble “will be successfully challenged”.
Also, in the lead-up to the polls, Vincentian legal scholars Linton Lewis and Jason Hayne, each with a doctorate in law, wrote commentaries on the matter.
Lewis, a former NDP senator and chairman, who has fallen out of favour with the party, argued that a case against the nomination of Friday and Bramble would succeed.
However, Haynes argued that a proper reading of the SVG Constitution would show that it is peculiar and provides for commonwealth citizens to contest elections. He argued that any challenge to the election of Friday and Bramble based on their Canadian citizenship would, therefore, fail.
Linton Lewis may have a PHD, however, he has not demonstrated that he took the course in Law school.cause statutory interpretation. The same law was amazed then.he.lost the case involving the St Martin’s high school.
With a win of 14 to 01 “LICKS FO SO”, dem 2 idiots still filing! There still will be12 NDP seats!
It was ok for them to run as long as they didn’t win? Shameless losers!! Like drowning men grasping at straws.
What? Ridiculous!
According to AI: I asked, “can a dual citizen of another Commonwealth country be elected to parliament in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines if they were born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
AI replied: “An examination of SVG state constitutions (and relevant electoral laws) reveals that while a dual citizen is eligible to be elected, this citizenship status may subsequently put them at risk of disqualification if they engage with that foreign citizenship while serving in the capacity of a Vincentian Parliamentarian.”
The best news our country has heard since the unconstitutional election of these two foreigners determined to sell our precious citizenship to the highest bidders.
These men are sour grapes. The Constituencies and the Nation electorate have spoken. Democracy is the voice of the people consensus. Where were these men when the rights of the people were trampled upon during the COVID-19 mandates and other things? They are so much about legalities when they have been handed their walking papers, but when human rights are being trampled upon by tyrannical rule, they are silent. Who and what are they standing up for? Whose interest are they looking out for? The Philosopher Helmut Thielicke taught us something very important to consider. He said, “Tell me how much you know of the sufferings of your fellowmen, and I will tell you how much you loved them” Let them consider how much love and concern they have shown, when human rights and dignity were trampled underfoot by the tyrant. Which was more important?
After Bramble and Friday spent years in parliament, the election losers are now targeting them, who were duly elected. This is pure sour grapes. The ULP must be hurting badly. Get a life, you disgruntled politicians. All your salaries must have gone down.
We await the decision of the court.
Message from the National Liberation Movement of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
ULP is nothing but a bunch of sorry LOSERS. They need to suck it up and move on.
Sour Grapes….
That’s all this is!
Grow up you two.
You lost, live with it!
The last pm of the 🇬🇧 is an Indian , has dual citizenship, India is a commonwealth country, . Svg and Canada are commonwealth countries, so what are the opposition problem? tek aryo licks and go to hell.
C.Ben-David is still struggling for relevance and has still not come to the grips with the election results of Nov 27, 2025. The layou saviour should try and salvage vehat left of the ULP. He sould bethe senator representing the republic of Layou.
C.Ben-David, the converted proclaimed Jew whose wife was a banker is shameless for espousing that presumptuous filing of a bonafide vincentian to run as a candidate. Why didn’t he not offer his candidacy in Central Leeward? Mix Huggins would have given him licks like peas. Sham on you C.Ben-David.
Dunncy head lawyer says he has a PhD in law, from which university? Is it from.Dunkey University?
This man is hungry for power, he could not have his way with the ULP now he is composer hungry that he eventually will take over hhe leadership of the ulp. This will be the end of the ulp.
Linton ran in WSG twice and lost, he also ran.in ESG and lost is is a sorry looser. He is a failed politician, a failed Lawyer, a failed father , a failed cricketer and the.list goes on.
As one of the above contributor stated that he has a PhD in law from the University of Donkey, to the extent that he did not expect a guilty verdict in the st Martin murder case for which he was a counsel for the defendant.
When.one graduated from.the university of Donkey what can you expect him to have an LLb in law in which he was awarded the highest Donkey certificate.