“The Constitution states clearly we ought to have a free and fair election, so they can tell us how free and fair this election is”
FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — Pastor and political aspirant Glenroy Bethel said he intends to file a legal suit in the Supreme Court today in a bid to postpone the general election.
Bethel is the president of Families for Justice and a would-be candidate for Central Grand Bahama as he missed the deadline for nomination due to circumstances allegedly beyond his control.
He is asking the court to consider whether the country can have free and fair electoral process due to the late release of the voters registry for the advance poll and concerns many young voters have been barred from the process due to the snap election.
“We are concerned about those young voters, first-time voters, who were definitely not given a deadline to register to vote as young Bahamians,” Bethel said.
“What we are asking for is an injunction to intervene in this matter simply because under the Parliamentary Elections Act, there should have been a registry ready and available for the public to inspect and the candidates right now that are running in this election, who are nominated, the candidates right now could have gotten a registry and they could have gone in their constituency and checked.
“The Constitution states clearly we ought to have a free and fair election, so they can tell us how free and fair this election is.”
He added: “We’re bringing it to the courts, and I am also a candidate in the general election. I was in Canada and I was prevented from coming in through The Bahamas’ health visa, so I was unable to nominate.”
Yesterday, Valentine Grimes, election coordinator for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), told Eyewitness News the party was also concerned about the late release of certain aspects of the voters register, and the potential disenfranchisement of voters displaced by Hurricane Dorian.
However, Grimes insisted the party would not do anything to delay the vote.
