ABEC accused of political leaning in favour of PM Browne, leading to trust in the institution being at an all-time low

The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) is being accused of political bias in its operations, leading to lowered public trust in the institution.

Damani Tabor made the accusation in response to a report that ABEC has conceded to Prime Minister Gaston Browne and will investigate the high volume of voter transfers into the St. Peter constituency.

Suspicions about the higher-than-average number of transfers were raised by PM Browne only recently, although Independent MP Asot Michael had won the St. Peter seat convincingly since January 18.  

Meanwhile, the UPP – along with the Free & Fair Elections League and former ABEC Chairman Bruce Goodwin – has been calling on ABEC to investigate comments made by PM Browne weeks ago.  

Browne boasted openly that City West voters had been transferred into other constituencies to give his candidates a leg up in the January 18 General Election.

However, the Commission – which is responsible for conducting fair elections and overseeing the process – has ignored those calls and has neither publicly condemned nor distanced itself from Browne’s statements.  

Instead, Tabor says, ABEC has jumped at Browne’s stated intention to have the St. Peter transfers investigated – which, Tabor says, shows where the Commission’s true allegiance lies.

Tabor, the public relations officer of the United Progressive Party (UPP), says ABEC’s response appears to be highly partisan, and he is calling for the Commission to investigate the statements made by the prime minister, as well.

In the meanwhile, Tabor says that no consideration should be given to combining the duties of the Commission and the role of the Supervisor of Elections.

According to this week’s Cabinet Notes, there is a proposal to marry both positions, and this will be addressed when constitution reform is being considered.

But now that trust in ABEC is at an all-time low, combining the two posts would be a recipe for disaster, the UPP officer says.