The government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has postponed a contentious effort to amend a section of the nation's constitution, which the opposition claims renders the prime minister ineligible for his parliamentary position. Two bills, among six scheduled for the parliamentary session on Tuesday, sought to clarify a clause in the 1979 constitution regarding the citizenship eligibility of members of parliament.
Background of the Bills
The bills were introduced after the opposition filed election petitions challenging the eligibility of Prime Minister Godwin Friday and MP Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, both of whom hold Canadian citizenship in addition to Vincentian citizenship. The petitions are set to be heard by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in July. The proposed amendments would retroactively limit the definition of 'foreign power or state' to non-Commonwealth countries, meaning that citizenship acquired from any of the 56 Commonwealth nations would not disqualify an individual from holding public office in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Public Reaction and Government Response
Amid online outrage and demonstrations near Parliament, with protesters carrying placards reading 'constitutional change without the voice of the people' and 'Friday and Bramble protecting their Canadian passports', Prime Minister Friday told MPs he would delay the bills to allow for more public debate. 'We will not be proceeding any further now at this point until we have had these full responses from the public debate on these two very important matters,' he stated on Tuesday.
Legal and Constitutional Concerns
The case has focused on a constitutional clause detailing disqualifications for election or appointment as an MP, including anyone who 'by virtue of his own act' is 'under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state'. Petitioners cited the case of former St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, who was ordered by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2020 to vacate his seat after acquiring a Dominican diplomatic passport, which was found to breach the constitution. Stuart Young, the attorney representing the petitioners and former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, expressed confidence in the election petitions, stating they were backed by a sound interpretation of the constitution.
Warnings of a Constitutional Crisis
Former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves warned of a potential 'constitutional crisis', arguing that the government's actions undermine the rule of law, judicial independence, and electoral trust. Law lecturer and barrister Adrian Odle raised concerns about the timing of the bill, questioning whether it was genuine law reform or an attempt to resolve a political problem after the fact. Government Senator Jemalie John dismissed interference claims, asserting that the amendment clarifies 'foreign power' and that the case remains before the court for judges to assess, but Parliament must resolve ambiguities to safeguard voters' democratic choice.
Broader Context of Dual Citizenship in the Caribbean
Dual citizenship has been a highly contentious issue for politicians across the region. In Jamaica last year, opposition leader Mark Golding gave up his British citizenship after pressure during the national elections campaign. Calistra Farrier, a journalist and president of the Media Workers Association of Grenada, noted that the rows over citizenship underscore a broader Caribbean tension with the Westminster-style governance inherited from colonial times. She questioned how small states can reconcile these constitutional frameworks with modern realities, such as dual citizenship, without eroding the separation of powers.
