ABCRE president shares views on Boundaries Commission structure

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Ralph Bowen (File photo)
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A legal expert continues to advocate for constitutional reforms to the Constituencies Boundaries Commission’s (CBC) appointment process, suggesting that the current method is open to potential political influence.

Attorney at Law Ralph Bowen, who also serves as President of Antiguans and Barbudans for Constitutional Reform and Education (ABCRE), emphasised that the current composition of the Commission, which gives the government authority to appoint three commissioners compared to the opposition’s one, may need reconsideration to ensure greater objectivity.

“The Constitution is filled with biases in favour of the ruling party,” Bowen said during an interview on Observer AM. “Wherever it is called on to make appointments to any position which requires multiple people to serve, invariably, the greater majority of the appointment goes to the ruling party.”

The conversation relating to the CBC’s makeup followed the faux pas by government’s Chief of Staff Ambassador Lionel Hurst last week who disclosed the names of three ministers of government who would sit on the Commission.

This “erratum”, as it was termed, was corrected in less than 12 hours and the names of three other non-government appointees to the Commission were disclosed.

Bowen said that the role of the CBC is critical in ensuring fair representation across the nation’s electoral districts, given the current disparities in constituency sizes across Antigua and Barbuda, with some constituencies having as many as 6,000 voters while others have as few as 1,700.

The body is constitutionally mandated to review constituency boundaries at intervals of no less than two years and no more than five years.

Bowen proposed several reforms to the appointment process, suggesting a more balanced approach.

“Perhaps in the appointment of the Commissioners to the Constituency Boundaries Commission, we may want to diversify the appointment; maybe give the Prime Minister one appointment, one in conjunction with the Leader of the Opposition, one to the Leader of the Opposition, and then find some other mechanism for appointing the other Commissioner,” he stated.

Bowen emphasized that in small democracies like Antigua and Barbuda, appointed officials might feel obligations to those who appointed them, potentially compromising their objectivity.

He added that diversifying the appointment process could help create greater transparency and ensure more balanced decision-making in the crucial task of determining electoral boundaries.

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