ST. VINCENT-Opposition Leader regards constitutional change as a “battle of massive proportions”.

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, on Wednesday, described as a “battle of massive proportions” moves by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government to amend the Constitution, seeking to clarify the meaning of “foreign power” in the document.

“Today is a day where we have to commence our resistance to this New Democratic Party (NDP) dictatorship,” Gonsalves said on Star Radio, which is owned by the main opposition Unity Labor Party (ULP).

“This dictatorship is seeking to bring a constitutional amendment to throw the election case against (Prime Minister Dr. Godwin), and Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald) Bramble, and they’re seeking to do so by amending the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act,” he told radio listeners.

Earlier, attorney Jemalie John, a government legislator, speaking on a radio program here, said the proposed changes to the Constitution are not intended to affect two election petitions filed by the ULP challenging the qualifications of Friday and Bramble to contest the November 2025 general election.

The defeated ULP candidates in the Northern Grenadines and East Kingstown, respectively, have filed an election petition challenging the qualifications of Friday and Bramble to contest the polls, given their Canadian citizenship.

A case management hearing in the cases took place on March 5, and the next one is slated for May 19. The court has set aside July 28, 29, and 30 as trial dates.

John rejected the ULP’s suggestion, which lost last November’s general election after being in office for nearly 25 years, that the NDP government had sprung the matter on the public.

“Okay, so the first thing I would say is that it’s not a rumor. The reason why there’s a conversation going on is that the rules stipulate that notice of a parliamentary sitting must be sent out, including the Order Paper,” John said.

Gonsalves told radio listeners that the government is seeking to amend Section 26(5) of the Constitution, which specifically defines the scope of certain disqualifications for candidacy for general elections.

He said that the amendments seek to define foreign power or state and, secondly, to state that there is nothing in Section 26 that addresses issues of allegiance, acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power or state.

Gonsalves, an attorney, said he has interpreted the proposed bill to mean that, once passed, it will be retroactive to 1979, when the Constitution came into effect.

Gonsalves, who has been the longest serving head of government here, noted that on the morning of the case management hearing, Prime Minister Friday described the election petitions as frivolous and a waste of time.

“But what happened? He has brought two bills, one to amend the Constitution to sort out the legal problem that he has, and an amendment, similarly, to the Representation of the People,” he said.

Gonsalves said Friday and Bramble, through their lawyers at the case management hearing, agreed that they are Canadian citizens and they have Canadian passports, adding that the only questions that remain are legal ones, central among which is “Is Canada a foreign power or state?”

The second issue was that Friday and Bramble do have an allegiance, obedience, and adherence to this foreign power state called Canada.

“They were arguing that because Canada is a Commonwealth country, it’s not so. But they must have received legal advice that they must buy an insurance policy by changing the Constitution, so they brought these two bills,” Gonsalves said, noting that one of the proposals in the 2009 constitutional reform was to allow people with dual citizenship to run for office.

“The people voted that down, the Constitution was voted down, and the NDP itself, including Friday, championed against that provision,” Gonsalves said, adding, “the core messages that we have to go forth with are that the government was doing this to favor themselves.

“This is a political battle of massive proportions, and through this medium, I’m calling on the Governor-General to intervene, to stop this madness instituted by the NDP. He must indicate to the public that he would not give assent to a bill, to these bills, if they are passed,” Gonsalves told radio listeners.