REPORTS that recommendations from the Boundaries Commission are before Governor General, Dame PearletteLouisy have proven to be false.
Information reaching The VOICE indicated that the Commission had a short list of recommendations among which was to increase the number of constituencies from 17 to 21.
But Speaker of the House of Assembly, Peter Foster, the Commission’s Chairman, yesterday denied that a report was forwarded to the Governor General.
“No, no, this is not true,” Foster said.
“What I can tell you” he added “is that the Commission has been meeting and has been looking at the boundaries as they exist and whether we should reconfigure them in keeping with our mandate under the Constitution of Saint Lucia,” Foster said.
The Chairman admitted that in due course the Commission will be presenting a report to the Governor General.
Over the past months reports about the realignment of electoral boundaries have been widespread, especially about the cutting of two constituencies, one of them being Gros Islet.
Earlier this month a member of the five-member Commission did discuss the realignment of the electoral boundaries with this reporter and indicated that serious consideration, by the Commission to reorganization was being given of the populous Gros Islet constituency.
The two main political parties was being given, United Workers party and the Saint Lucia Labour Party, have in the past expressed concerns about the uneven distribution of the population among the 17 constituencies on the island.
The Boundaries Commission consists of the Speaker, as chairperson; two members appointed by the Governor General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister; and two members appointed by the Governor General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.
