FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026
VOLUME 120, No. 31
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ELECTION PETITIONS
AWAIT CRITICAL RULING at the November 27, 2025 general election. The petitioners - Williams and Browne - are before the High Court asking that Dr. Friday and Mr. Bramble be disqualified as serving members of parliament on the grounds that while both elected members are Vincentian by birth, they have sworn allegiance to a foreign state — Canada — in contravention of the constitution of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Following the conclusion of evidence on fact, the court proceeded to hearing from the petitioners’ expert witness. It was at this juncture that legal counsel for the respondents objected to the introduction of the expert witness testimony. Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, lead attorney for the respondents, advanced the objection arguing that the witness had “failed to provide a legitimate expert opinion, asserting that the evidence presented was largely a compilation of publicly available information from Canadian immigration websites concerning passports and citizenship procedures.” Not unlike recent panorama battles here, the outcome of another battle here Furthermore, Ramlogan, who is being orchestrated by two Trinidadians - Anand Ramlogan for Friday and served as Attorney General of Trinidad Bramble of the NDP, and Stuart Young for Browne and Williams of the ULP. and Tobago from May 2010 to September 2015 in the People’s Partnership administration of Prime THE FIRST REAL DISAGREEMENT The disagreement arose over the between the parties involved in the validity of an expert witness called by Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, argued that the testimony failed to constitutional matter related to the the petitioners. address the central legal question, i.e. eligibility of Prime Minister Dr. Godwin The matter in focus, presided over whether either respondent actually Friday and Member of Parliament by High Court Judge Justice Gertel owes allegiance, obedience, or Fitzgerald Bramble to sit as members of Thom, centred on petitions filed by parliament in St. Vincent and the Unity Labour Party (ULP) candidates adherence to a foreign power. However, lead counsel for the Grenadines, arose during the second day Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, of hearings on Wednesday. both of whom lost their bid for election petitioners Senior Counsel Stuart Young, who served as the eighth prime
minister of Trinidad and Tobago from March 17, 2025, to May 1, 2025 in a People’s National Movement government and who had the shortest term in office for a prime minister in the country’s history, labelled the objections “as a standard tactical manoeuver,” and stated that his team had successfully presented their evidence based on facts and remains “confident in their case”. As those in the gallery noted, the court spent the majority of the evening reviewing written submissions following the respondents’ objections. The team for the petitioners suggested these manoeuvers appeared to be an attempt to “prevent a matter from being heard”. But that was the essence of the second day of evidence and attention now turned to the upcoming judicial decision. Justice Gertel Thom is expected to rule on the admissibility of the expert evidence and the objections raised by the defense when the court reconvenes, determining the way forward. Both sides in this historic constitutional hearing have gone on record with how they perceive the matter unfolding. Ramlogan is on recod as saying, “I think that the population voted for him (Dr. Friday) knowing full well his democratic credentials and his commitment and dedication as a servant of the people, and we intend to ensure that it remains that way. Continued on Page 3.