Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and representative for St John’s Rural West, Richard Lewis has called on the government to commit to electoral reform, following the announcement of three persons to sit on the Constituencies Boundaries Commission.
The government on Thursday announced Danley Phillip, Claire Chastanet and Billy Benjamin as its representatives to the commission.
Speaking on Observer media’s Big Issues on Sunday, the St John’s Rural West representative highlighted what he called “unacceptable” disparities in constituency sizes, where some have as many as about 5,800 registered voters while others have as few as 1,200.
“In a democracy, it should be one man, one vote, same value,” Lewis said, pointing out that the last comprehensive boundary changes occurred prior to 2000, creating what he described as a democratic deficit in representation.
The disparity extends beyond mere numbers, Lewis claimed, noting the implications of constituency allowances.
“Each parliamentarian is given a constituency allowance of $2,000 per month. In the smallest constituency, that translates to $1.59 per elector per month, while in larger constituencies, it’s just $0.34 per elector,” he said.
The 2013 Boundaries Commission report, which Lewis used in his discourse, recommended comprehensive reforms to achieve voter parity.
It recommended the splitting of St John’s Rural East and the restructuring of the St Peter constituency among others.
However, that report was ultimately overturned by the Court of Appeal due to insufficient public consultation.
Lewis expressed skepticism about the current administration’s commitment to electoral reform, noting that he doesn’t “think this administration is serious about voter parity”.
The parliamentary representative emphasized that the Constituency Boundaries Guidance Act of 2012 provides clear direction for achieving more equitable representation.
The Act, he said, allows for an 18 percent tolerance limit above or below the average constituency size—a far cry from the current situation where some constituencies deviate by as much as 66 percent below and 58 percent above the average.
Lewis’ concerns echo persistent recommendations from international election observers, who have repeatedly highlighted the need for greater voter parity in Antigua and Barbuda’s electoral system.
As the newly formed Commission prepares to begin its work, Lewis also called for politics to be set aside in favor of long-term democratic development.
“We need to take politics out of it because I find that as politicians, we think about five years, the next general election, rather than putting things in place to benefit our nation and our democracy in the long run,” he added.