Concerned Citizens’ Movement Hon. Mark Brantley on Monday’s federal election won his seat to return to parliament as representative of the people of Nevis for constituency #9. Of the 11 federal seats, only Nevis 9 recorded an increase in the number of registered voters for the 2010 elections. Compared to 2004, the number of voters for that district increased By about 10%, going from 3,918 to 4295. The total number of voters in that district accounted for almost 57% of the 7,552 persons on Nevis that registered to vote in the 2010 federal election. Voter registration for the January 25th election did not only decrease at a constituency level, overall numbers decreased By more than 6,000, dropping from 38,865 in 2004 to this year’s 32,746. The increase in the number of voters in Nevis 9 was a point of contention between Brantley, party leader former premier Hon. Vance Amory and election and government officials. Amory had said that based on the number of registered voters on the list in Nevis Nine that ‘there is some aberration which ought to be addressed”. “The preponderance of registered voters in Nevis Nine, which consists of the parishes of St. Paul’s and St. John’s, has caused some concern and we have to find a way of dealing with it.” Brantley had informed that he had written to the Electoral Commission and Supervisor of Elections Leroy Benjamin Sr. on the matter but had never received a response. He said he had also sought the counsel of Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, another futile attempt at resolving the electoral issues. Then Opposition Leader in the Federal Parliament, Brantley had vehemently opposed last year’s Constituency Boundaries Commission proposed boundary re-alignments ahead a pending election. However continuous court proceedings forced an election held on the existing boundaries. Final polling results for Constituency #9 was the second to last announcement made By Benjamin early Tuesday morning. Brantley was declared the winner having garnered 1,749 of the 3,350 votes cast. His Nevis Reformation Party opponent Hon. Hensley Daniel received 1601 votes. Amory also won a second federal seat for the CCM with Hon. Patrice Nesbitt picking up Nevis #11 for NRP’s sole federal seat. During the CCM victory motorcade on Tuesday, Brantley thanked the people of St. Pauls and St. Johns for their support. “I want to say thank you to the people of St. Pauls and St. Johns, the people of St. Thomas and St. James, the people of St. George. CCM was fighting against the Labour Party, a Prime Minister, we were fighting against the NRP, a Premier …we bang dem and we gone bang dem again!” The exuberant Brantley said the opposing parties had more money than the CCM but lacked energy, ideas and commitment, all of which he said his party brought to the Federation’s political forum. Local elections to determine whether NRP or CCM will constitute the next Nevis Island Assembly will be held in 2011.
