Moses “Shyne” Barrow Threatens Election & Boundaries Dept. with Lawsuit

Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow fired off a letter to Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai. Dated February 23, the letter addresses recent internal conflicts and the party’s stance on factionalism.

He stressed that the UDP remains a single, unified entity, as mandated by its constitution, which explicitly prohibits factionalism. According to the letter, members who engaged in factionalism were expelled following the party’s constitutional procedures. “It is an abomination for the Elections and Boundaries to contravene the UDP Constitution in regards to factionalism, the Judges Order recognising one Central Executive of the UDP, and attempting to make a determination on a matter that is before the Court by declaring two UDP factions.”

The Elections and Boundaries Commission ruled that both the Tracy Panton-led UDP and the Shyne Barrow-led UDP can use red in the March 12 general election. The decision, passed by a 3-2 vote, saw the three ruling party representatives in favour, while one opposition member backed exclusive use for Barrow’s UDP and the other proposed different shades of red. The final details, including distinct symbols, will be confirmed after Nomination Day, which is today.

The letter says, “It is an abomination for the Elections and Boundaries to contravene the UDP Constitution in regards to factionalism, the Judges Order recognising one Central Executive of the UDP, and attempting to make a determination on a matter that is before the Court by declaring two UDP factions.”

The party threatens immediate legal action if the EBC assigns the colour red to any candidate not on their official list.

Barrow expressed frustration over the EBC’s lack of response to previous correspondence from the party’s legal counsel, Professor Chris Malcom, and himself.

Barrow insisted that each political party and independent candidate should be assigned distinct colours to prevent voter confusion. He maintained that the traditional UDP red belongs solely to the party’s official candidates, and any deviation would not be tolerated.

“The UDP will take immediate court action if the Elections & Boundaries assigns traditional UDP red or any colour remotely close to any candidate that is not on the list of official UDP candidates.”