COVID-related adjustments to election protocols will be based on instructions from health officials

Chairman of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Leslie Haynes has taken serious umbrage at suggestions of political interference and compromised integrity, as employees work around the clock to stage a “free and fair” poll on January 19, 2022.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, the Queen’s Counsel said he had no intention of responding to the claims from Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley through the Press.

But he declared that all COVID-related adjustments to the election protocols would be based on instructions from the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit and not the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

Throughout the day, Bishop Atherley dominated news cycles as he challenged Haynes to respond to statements from the Prime Minister, which, in his opinion, could compromise the integrity of the election and even infringe the Constitution of Barbados.

“I have my job to do and perhaps if Mr Atherley has this news, he can call me and talk to me,” the EBC Chairman said on Wednesday evening.

During Monday’s election announcement, Mottley promised to ensure that both she and the Leader of the Opposition are briefed so they can update the country on plans to “simplify the conduct of elections” in a COVID-19 environment. She floated the idea of increasing the number of polling rooms at polling stations and shortening the alphabetical size of a station, to reduce long lines.

“Barbados can and will conduct elections in a safe and responsible manner, even in the midst of COVID, and we shall have the will of the people determined and declared in a minimum time,” the Prime Minister promised.

However, Bishop Atherley declared that such utterances, on the doorstep of an election, are outside the ambit of the Prime Minister’s authority. He accused Mottley of “crossing the line” by venturing into matters which are squarely within the purview of the EBC.

“That is not for her to say. The Electoral and Boundaries Commission cannot wait for the Prime Minister to direct them and advise them as to how political parties, facing a general election, are to be briefed,” he declared.

“The Constitution, under Section 41 (c), speaks to that clearly where it says that the boundaries commission with responsibility for the voting process and the conduct of general elections in every constituency and in the exercise of its functions … shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or of any authority, and that includes the Prime Minister.

“So, I think her mouthings were a bit out of step, out of sync and out of order and I really would want to call on the Chairman of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission to rebuff those statements and to say explicitly that the integrity of the process can be ensured and that the Electoral and Boundaries Commission will function in an independent fashion, without any reference to what any political party or authority might think,” the Opposition Leader appealed.

In response, Haynes said that questions about the integrity of the process were “absolutely ridiculous”.

“What you are doing is challenging my integrity and the integrity of the electoral department and all of the registering and returning officers,” said the EBC Chairman.

Haynes said the EBC had not been caught off guard by Prime Minister Mottley’s announcement on Monday because the staff were preparing for the inevitable poll two-and-a-half years after the last one was held in May 2018.

He said that immediately after Mottley’s address to the nation, all returning officers reported to the EBC to collect their election writs, while other employees worked past midnight on preparations for Nomination Day, Polling Day and special polling days.

“At the end of the day, I know what I do and I know what I don’t do, and the purpose of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission is to ensure that the elections in this country are free and fair and free from any type of political interference,” said Haynes.

“We had certain protocols from the COVID unit with respect to the St George North by-election and a meeting was held yesterday with the electoral department and the COVID unit and the COVID unit has those protocols to update. So, Mr Ronald Chapman is reviewing the protocols and he is going to send us updated protocols if he has not already done so. The elections will be held and we will be ready for it,” the EBC chairman proclaimed.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb