St. Kitts & Nevis Candidates to take oath to declare non-holding of dual nationality prior to nomination

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Candidates seeking nomination to the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly will have to take an oath that he or does not hold dual citizenship.

The National Assembly Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which gets its first reading in the lawmaking body on Friday, also calls for proof of the renunciation of the other citizenship if dual nationality was held.

One or the proposed amendment to the National Assembly Elections Act, Cap. 162, calls on a candidate before nomination, to take an oath to the effect that he or she does not hold dual citizenship, that is to say, that he or she is not by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power or state; and if he or she held dual citizenship, produce proof that he or she renounced the other citizenship since the holding of the previous elections.

Other proposed amendments require a person who nominates a candidate for election to take an oath or affirmation that to the best of his or her knowledge the candidate he or she has nominated does not possess dual citizenship referred to in subsection (5A); and gives the Returning Officer the responsibility for administering the oaths and affirmations and to receive and approve the proof of renunciation.

A further amendment provides for an offence to be committed, if a candidate for nomination provides false information relating to his or her citizenship and a voter who nominates a candidate for election gives false information relating to the citizenship of that candidate.

The proposed bill also provides for a fine or imprisonment or both on summary conviction.