BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Members of the security services here were casting ballots on Saturday ahead of Monday’s general election in St Kitts-Nevis.

Supervisor of Elections Wingrove George confirmed to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the voting was indeed taking place, but would not provide any further details.

The ruling St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) is seeking a fifth consecutive term in office, but faces a challenge from the opposition group, Team Unity, an amalgam of three opposition parties, including the main opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM), the People’s labour Party (PLP) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).

The SKNLP on Thursday announced that it had entered into a cooperation agreement with the Nevis Reformation Party.

There are 132 polling stations in the twin island Federation for the polls, but the Team Unity leader, Dr Timothy Harris, said that voters list to be used in the election has not yet been made public.

“The list has not been published and the requirement in terms of the law is that for every polling division, the list out to be published at two public places with respect to that particular division.

“With respect to the polling division this would normally be a health centre, a police station, a lamp post where the ordinarily person can go and check,” he added.

Harris told CMC that failure to provide the list ahead of the elections is a contravention of the law and that “candidates who are vying for election…have not had a single word, not a formal word or communication neither from the Electoral Commission nor the Supervisor of Elections advising us that they intend to proceed with early voting this year”.

On Thursday, the London-based Privy Council, the island’s highest court, ruled that the polls must be held using the old electoral list as well as the existing constituency boundaries.