Published 12 March 2020
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Accepting the ruling of the Appeal Court, Denzil Douglas calls for setting of election date and announces he will run in #6
Basseterre, St Kitts, March 12, 2020 – Former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Dr Denzil L Douglas said Thursday that he accepts the ruling of the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal that he should vacate his St Christopher 6 seat in the St Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Dr Douglas also announced his candidacy for the St Christopher 6 seat and called upon Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris to dissolve the lawmaking body and set a date for the general election.
poll.
“I wish to announce on behalf of myself and my colleagues that the matter of the diplomatic passport case, which has been before our courts for two years, has finally come to an end; that is the legal process for the case.
We have been informed by our lawyers that earlier this morning, sitting at the Appeal Court in St Lucia, the appeal judges gave a ruling that they would have upheld the appeal on this matter from the judgment of Justice Trevor Ward QC at the Lower Court several months ago,” Douglas told reporters.
Although expressing surprise at the ruling, Dr Douglas said: “We accept the judgment and we move on definitely to the next level. We respect the judgment given by the appeal judges and so that ends the legal process. We are now in the political process of this matter,” Dr Douglas said.
He recalled that the refusal of his successor, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris to follow protocol and issue him a Diplomatic Passport in his new capacity as Leader of the Opposition following the 2015 General Elections.
“The spitefulness and the vindictiveness of Timothy Harris being pursued against me and a former colleague as Head of Government, (Prime Minister Dr the Hon Roosevelt Skerritt), in recognizing the service that I have provided to the Caribbean region and holding me in the highest regard, did offer me a (Dominica) diplomatic passport when my own government refused to give me a (St Kitts and Nevis) diplomatic passport after serving for almost twenty years as the Prime Minister and as Member of our Parliament for nearly thirty years,” Dr Douglas said.
He said there is no appeal to the Privy Council “so I no longer will serve the people of Constituency #6 in the parliament during this term, which is almost ended.”
“in other words, although I will not sit in the parliament for the next two, three days or weeks. The matter is, I, however, will contest the next elections for Constituency #6 whenever those elections are called. The judgment does not preclude me in any way from seeking re-election by the people of Constituency #6,” Dr Douglas said.
Flanked by the seven NextGen SKN candidates, Dr Douglas was given a tumultous round of applause when he said he has the full endorsement of his colleauges.
