San Cristóbal y Nieves: primer ministro denuncia trabas para incorporar su país a la Corte Caribeña de Justicia
St Kitts-Nevis government forced to delay move to CCJ
With confirmation from St George’s that Grenadians could decide by referendum next year to accept the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the country’s final appellate body, although St Kitts and Nevis does not need to hold a referendum on the CCJ, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas says there are impediments to moving the process forward at the moment.
That includes his administration not having the three-quarters Parliamentary majority required to make the necessary constitutional amendment.
«We had given a commitment especially when the new president of the CCJ had taken office that St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica would be the two countries that would go immediately. Mainly because we did not have the trappings of a referendum,» he said.
«You’re aware of the challenges that we’ve had in own Parliament where the opposition has refused to come to Parliament, much less to discuss the matter of advancing towards the CCJ membership. So that has been shelved. I’ve encouraged my counterpart the prime minister of Dominica to go ahead and leave St Kitts and Nevis at the moment,» Douglas said, commending Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt for moving forward to embrace the CCJ in its appellate jurisdiction.
«I commend him… for achieving what I believe we all need to achieve especially in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States,» Douglas said.