Opposition Leader Warns of Creeping Dictatorship as NDP Moves to Retroactively Amend Constitution 

By Val Matthias. Updated 1:59 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Opposition Leader has issued a stark warning that democracy in the country is under grave threat,accusing the New Democratic Party (NDP) of attempting to manipulate the constitution to protect its own candidates from ongoing election petitions. Speaking on radio, he described the move as a “creeping dictatorship” and an abuse of parliamentary power, saying that the government is seeking to rewrite the rules of the game after the match has already been played.

The controversy centers on two bills introduced by the NDP, led by Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday, which were delivered to the Opposition’s office after 4 p.m. on April 14. The bills, scheduled for debate and passage on April 21, propose amendments to Section 26 of the 1979 Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. The amendments would redefine “foreign power or state” to exclude Commonwealth countries, thereby declaring Canada not a foreign state under Vincentian law. They would also retroactively validate nominations and elections of candidates with dual citizenship, dating back to the inception of the constitution in 1979.

At the heart of the dispute are election petitions filed by Opposition candidates Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, challenging the eligibility of Dr Friday and Fitzgerald Bramble, who won seats in the November 27 general elections. The petitions argue that both men, by voluntarily acquiring Canadian citizenship and passports, acknowledged allegiance to a foreign power and were therefore disqualified under Section 26. The matter is currently before the court, with hearings scheduled for late July. Dr. Friday and Bramble have already admitted to holding Canadian citizenship, leaving the legal question of whether Canada constitutes a “foreign power” under the constitution.

The Opposition Leader contends that the government’s proposed amendments are designed to interfere with this live judicial process, effectively deciding the case in Parliament before the court can rule. He described the move as a direct attack on the rule of law, judicial independence, and the principle of separation of powers. “You cannot run the race and then move the finish line afterwards,” he declared, warning that retroactive constitutional changes undermine trust in elections and democracy itself.

The issue also carries historical weight. In 2009, during constitutional reform debates, Vincentians rejected proposals to allow dual citizens to run for office. The NDP, including Dr. Friday, campaigned against those reforms at the time. Now, the Opposition argues, the same party is attempting to reverse that position for its own benefit, without public consultation and in the midst of an active court case.

“This is not governance; this is self-preservation,” the Opposition Leader said, insisting that laws must remain predictable and certain. He warned that if Parliament can retroactively alter constitutional provisions to protect sitting MPs, it sets a precedent for future governments to override court cases and election challenges. “Today it’s the election rules, tomorrow it could be anything. This is how dictatorships behave,” he said.

The Opposition maintains that the proper course is to allow the court to decide the petitions. Any debate about changing the law, they argue, should take place openly and prospectively, not retroactively and in secrecy. For now, the bills remain on track for debate and passage next week, raising urgent questions about whether St. Vincent and the Grenadines will uphold the principles of fairness, judicial independence, and the rule of law, or whether parliamentary power will be wielded as a weapon to secure political survival.

END