St. Kitts Churches call for peaceful campaign as voters wait for election date

Religious groups in St. Kitts say they are hoping for a peaceful transition and calmness amongst citizens as St. Kitts-Nevis prepares to hold a general election later this year following the collapse of the coalition Team Unity government of Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris.

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Parliament has already been dissolved and Prime Minister Harris, who fired several of his ministers earlier this month, has said he will soon announce a date for the general election.

In a joint statement, the Christian Council and Evangelical Association “express grave concern and offer prayerful mediation during this period when the Federation is in a very critical political stalemate.

“The Christian community prays for a peaceful transition, and calmness amongst the citizens and asks that the process be allowed to take its course in an orderly and peaceful manner. We admonish all citizens and residents to adhere to the highest standards of our democratic traditions by ensuring that we each play our part peacefully within the confines of the laws of our Federation,” the religious groups said.

They said they were also praying for the wellbeing of those on whom added responsibilities have been placed to carry on the functions of government in the interim and that “God grant them the strength and fortitude needed at this time and that swift and urgent action be taken to alleviate the situation”.

The religious groups are also calling for a peaceful campaign, urging both the leadership of political parties and their supporters “to refrain from personal attacks against each other.

“We pray that the officials who will direct the electoral process take special care in the exercise of their responsibilities in order to build public confidence in the fairness and integrity of the entire electoral process.

The People’s Action Movement (PAM) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) two of the three parties which formed the coalition government that was re-elected to office two years ago, have already indicated that they will contest the election as a coalition.

Prime Minister Harris’s People’s Labour Party (PLP) and the main opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) are the other parties that will seek to gain control of the 11-member Parliament.

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CMC/