The guessing and urging are over. The people of Anguilla are going to the polls on two officially-announced dates. June 26 is the date for the early or advanced voting for the elderly, essential workers and so on. The general voting, across the 35-square-mile island, is on June 29; and, Nomination Day, when all the parties and candidates will register for the district and island-wide elections, is June 12 – just around the corner.
The dates were announced by Premier Victor Banks late Tuesday evening, June 2, following the end of a virtual meeting of his Anguilla United Front, now seeking another term in office.
Premier Banks, engrossed in the very intense meeting broadcast – simultaneously on Facebook and radio stations, made the following statement:
“I almost forgot the worst-kept secret in the history of Anguillian politics. Today [June 2nd] I asked His Excellency the Governor c to issue a number of writs of Proclamation regarding the next general elections which I expect will be circulated tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020.
It is rumoured that such dates are already out. You will judge from what
I say whether there was any truth to those dates.
“We agreed, this morning, that the date for the upcoming elections is Monday, June 29, 2020. We also agreed that Nomination Day is Friday, June 12th 2020; and, for the benefit of those older citizens, like myself, and other persons who have incapacities, or persons who work in
essential services and so on and so forth, [and] who have medical conditions, early voting will take place on Friday, June 26th , 2020. So you will have a chance to vote before election-day. For all intents and purposes, the election-day for those persons is Friday, June 26th , 2020.
So you see, those persons who published the dates of the elections are right in one way, but they are wrong in another because there are persons who will vote on June 26th, 2020.”
Premier Banks added: “I encourage all prospective candidates to be hereby advised and govern themselves accordingly; and I pray that we all demonstrate that Anguilla is a true democracy that practises good conduct in the exercise of our rights to participate in free and fair elections – with mutual respect and civility.
“May God bless all of you and may God bless Anguilla .”
