Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party ((DP)) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams wants an elaboration on the request for a Central Committee meeting on election day "discrepancies" as called for by MPs Leona Marlin-Romeo (independent), Tamara Leonard (United People's Party) and Cornelius de Weever ((DP)). That Central Committee meeting of Parliament with the Central Voting Bureau and the Civil Registry is scheduled for Monday, starting at 10:00am in Parliament House.
Wescot-Williams sent her letter on Tuesday to Marlin-Romeo as Deputy Chairwoman of Parliament asking for "further clarification" from any or all of the three MPs who requested the meeting "in order to facilitate a meaningful discussion on the topics of elections and electoral reform."
She classified the meeting request as "peculiar from the onset ... to now cite alleged or real discrepancies occurring in an election already wrought with all sorts of innuendos is disturbing to say the least."
Marlin-Romeo, she said, was Head of the Civil Registry at the time of elections and no clear indication has been given by the three MPs about "the incidents" on Election Day they were pointing to. "Where are these recorded? Have voters objected to the electoral procedures? Have voters objected to the ballot counts?" Wescot-Williams said.
If the objective of the MPs requesting the meeting is to re-evaluate the Electoral Ordinance, this should be said and Parliament should initiate such post haste, she said.
Parliament has or should have received the "procés verbaals" of most proceedings of the election results (Article 103 Electoral Ordinance). If these were received, Wescot-Williams wants to know if there was any discrepancy.
