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Minister for Electoral Affairs
Employers were warned Friday that they should facilitate their workers who wish to vote in next Wednesday’s referendum for a new constitution for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“I have received …reports indicating that some employers are not committed to permit their employees time to go to the polls. I wish to draw to the attention of the entire Vincentian public that by Section 39 of the Representation of the People’s act…every employer shall allow every voter in his employee reasonable time in which to vote….,” said the Minister of Electoral Affairs Rene Baptiste.
He warned employers that the legislation makes it an offence to make any deductions from the salaries of the workers or impose any penalty as a result of the time allocated to cast the ballot.
Baptiste said that the law also provides for a fine and imprisonment for six months if anyone is found guilty of an offence under the act.
Vincentians go to the polls on November 25 to decide whether or not to accept the new constitution that the government of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says underscores the island’s development and a wish to remove Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state.
But the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), which has accused the government of using State-resources to finance its “Vote Yes” campaign, is urging supporters to reject the new document.
Baptiste said that observer missions from the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are due here shortly to monitor the referendum, the first to be held in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Meanwhile, the Supervisor of Elections Mrs. Sylvia Findlay Scrubb said that more than 97,000 persons are eligible to cast ballots in Wednesday’s referendum.
She said the Voters List include persons who had been registered to vote and may have since emigrated.
“The list shows just over 97,000 eligible voters, but we need to point out that there are persons who have registered as voters at some point in time…(and) who may have migrated but the Electoral Office has not been informed or is not aware of that….”
