Decisions to ‘renew’ existing voter cards and extend current passports prompted by lack of money, sources reveal

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed the suspicion that there will
be no re-registration of voters when thousands of their identification cards
expire early this year.

Last week, rumours in circulation claimed that there would be a “mass
renewal programme” – instead of the distribution of new cards via re-
registration.

However, an officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission
(ABEC) told REAL News that – while renewal is under consideration –
meetings with the political parties and other stakeholders “would have to”
precede such a decision.

But, in his radio outing last Saturday, January 13, Browne told a caller that
his Administration will be going to Parliament to amend the Regulations
and enable the renewal of the existing cards.

He claimed it would not be wise to print new cards at this time since
changes in the constituency boundaries are likely to be made next year;
and these would require some voters to re-register.
In the meantime, however, informed sources tell REAL News that “money
is the real reason” behind the Government’s plan to extend the life of the
voter ID cards.

They say the Browne Administration owes “millions and millions of dollars”
to the overseas company that provides the cards and maintains the
system, and the Government is not in the financial position to pay.
Accordingly, sources say, the two sides are at a stalemate.
Ironically, the caller to whom Browne responded also asked about the
validity of her passport, which, she said had been issued only two years
ago.

The prime minister assured the woman that the travel document remains
valid – in keeping with a recent notice that the Government is extending the
life of the current passports rather than recalling them for the more
electronically secure version.

On December 20, 2023, the “Passport and Citizenship Division …
announced that through a Decision of the Cabinet … it has extended the
deadline for the mandatory recall period for all Antigua and Barbuda
Machine Readable Passports indefinitely.

“The decision was taken in light of the continuing impact of global events
on the ability of citizens here and abroad to meet the previous deadline of
31 December 2023,” the notice added.
However, the sources say the only thing impacting the recall is, once again,
money.

They note that the company responsible for providing the newer version of
the passport “is the same one that provides the voter identification cards,”
and, therefore, the problem is the same:

With no funds to pay for past services, the sources claim, the
Administration had no choice but to put off the passport recall “indefinitely.”
They also allege that the Government had been counting on the sale of the
Alfa Nero to honour its debt to the overseas company.
Meanwhile, Opposition members say that extending the life of the voter
cards under the current circumstances is an affront to democracy.

They reference the prime minister’s boast – following the January 2023
General Election – that voters had been transferred out of his constituency,
St. John’s City West, and into other constituencies where his colleagues
needed help.

Following Browne’s admission, the United Progressive Party (UPP)
referred the matter to Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Shannon
Jones Gittens for investigation. However, she declined to act upon the
request.

In the meantime, the UPP is urging not only the redrawing of the
constituency boundaries – particularly in heavily populated and wide
geographic areas like St. George – but calling for the census to be taken,
as it is now four years past due.