{"id":180551,"date":"2023-07-25T10:09:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T14:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=180551"},"modified":"2023-07-25T10:09:02","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T14:09:02","slug":"no-definitive-word-on-how-abec-will-calculate-the-countdown-to-by-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/no-definitive-word-on-how-abec-will-calculate-the-countdown-to-by-election\/","title":{"rendered":"No definitive word on how ABEC will calculate the countdown to by-election"},"content":{"rendered":"
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REAL NEWS: The United Progressive Party is still seeking clarity on the number of\u2028days remaining before the by-election in St. Mary\u2019s South can be\u2028called.<\/p>

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The Party had indicated, earlier, that it had received information\u2028that ABEC is not counting down on a day-to-day basis, but is\u2028excluding weekends and public holidays.<\/p>\n

Reportedly, a member of the Commission had appeared in the media\u2028and said that it was counting from the date that the Speaker of the\u2028House had received former MP Kelvin \u201cShugy\u201d Simon\u2019s resignation\u2028letter.<\/p>

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Simon tendered his resignation from the House of Representatives\u2028on June 7, but the Speaker apparently received it the following day,\u2028June 8.<\/p>

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Symister says that, based on the strict count specified in the\u2028Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, some 46 days have passed\u2028since Simon resigned, leaving 74 days by which the election must be\u2028held.<\/p>\n

He says, however, that ABEC seems to want to do its own thing.\u00a0\u2028\u2028Symister makes reference to the Interpretation Act, which lawyers\u2028consult to assist with the interpretation of legislation.\u00a0\u2028He says that even if the Act were to be applied in this instance, only\u2028Sundays and public holidays would be excluded. Hence, clarity is\u2028still being sought since it is the Party\u2019s view that 120 days are what\u2028it should be.<\/p>

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If the drafters of the Constitution wanted to indicate how the 120\u2028days should be calculated, then it would have been stipulated, says\u2028Symister,\u00a0an attorney-at-law.<\/p>\n

This is the case regarding the time in which the Police can arrest and\u2028charge someone and take them before a magistrate \u2013\u00a0which is 48\u2028hours, excluding Sundays and public holidays.<\/p>

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Hence, if the Constitution made provision for how the hours should\u2028be calculated in that section, then the drafters would have done the\u2028same as it relates to 120 days for a by-election, Symister reasons.<\/p>

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Therefore,\u00a0he says, more clarity is being sought, and the discussions\u2028will focus on how the days are counted; but the Party\u2019s calculation is\u2028based on the strict interpretation of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

REAL NEWS: The United Progressive Party is still seeking clarity on the number of\u2028days remaining before the by-election in St. Mary\u2019s South can be\u2028called. The Party had indicated, earlier, that it had received information\u2028that ABEC is not counting down on a day-to-day basis, but is\u2028excluding weekends and public holidays. Reportedly, a member of the Commission […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":167017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNo definitive word on how ABEC will calculate the countdown to by-election - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/no-definitive-word-on-how-abec-will-calculate-the-countdown-to-by-election\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No definitive word on how ABEC will calculate the countdown to by-election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"REAL NEWS: The United Progressive Party is still seeking clarity on the number of\u2028days remaining before the by-election in St. Mary\u2019s South can be\u2028called. 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