UDP Chairman Michael Peyrefitte criticized the judicial handling of a recent voter registration challenge; he raised concerns about alleged padding of the voters list in Cayo North, which he says undermines electoral fairness.
In an interview, Peyrefitte expressed his discontent with the judicial process surrounding the objection raised by Dr. Omar Figueroa, the standard bearer for Cayo North, against several voter registrations in his constituency. “The success rate of these challenges is hardly ever successful,” Peyrefitte said, emphasizing his skepticism about the effectiveness of electoral objections. He claimed that the magistrate’s decision to entertain a no-case submission in this civil matter was unusual and thwarted efforts to fully investigate the validity of the registrations.
Peyrefitte specifically pointed to instances where multiple individuals were registered at single addresses that he deemed improbable. He cited an example involving a one-bedroom apartment allegedly housing 15 people. "When you have 15 to 17 people registered at an abandoned property, I mean, that's something that you have to bring or try and bring to the attention of the court," he remarked, highlighting what he described as blatant discrepancies that required judicial scrutiny.
Peyrefitte criticized the conduct of the registering officers, suggesting their involvement in the alleged irregularities. He called for a more rigorous examination of their actions, arguing that the failure to do so leaves the door open for potential manipulation of the electoral process. “The registering officers have to be involved in this because when they tell you that ‘oh, you live on La Croix Boulevard’ and they refuse to put the number of the house that you live at, I mean, how are you supposed to scrutinize it?” he questioned,
underscoring the difficulties faced in verifying the legitimacy of voter registrations under such circumstances.
Despite his frustration, Peyrefitte acknowledged the challenges of electoral objections, noting their historically low success rate. However, he insisted that such efforts are necessary to expose what he sees as attempts to manipulate voter rolls. "You have to challenge these things when… 17 people register at an abandoned piece of property," he stated, framing the objections as a necessary stand against what he perceives to be an abuse of the electoral system.
Peyrefitte’s comments suggest that the party will continue to scrutinize voter registrations closely, particularly in constituencies like Cayo North, where they believe irregularities have occurred.
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