Marigot: --- It is now official the State Council has officially annulled the presidential election of Frantz Gumbs which took place on August 7 2008. The decision was released yesterday during the lecture of the State Council. Gumbs and all vice presidents sitting in the executive council would have to face re-election within one month's time. Aired last night on RFO Guadeloupe Le Bâtonnier Félix Rhodes declared that the State Council has annulled the election of Frantz Gumbs he said the election was cancelled based on the pre-printed ballots that was made for Gumbs on August 7th.
SMN News also understands that Gumbs already sent out a press release to all French Newspapers acknowledging that the State Council has invalidated the August 7 election. It is understood that Gumbs also said that first Vice President Daniel Gibbs will be acting President in Interim and he would be responsible for preparing the next election. While the lawyer representing Marthe Ogoundele-Tessi; Félix Rhodes said according to him Ogoundele Tessi should be the one in charge now that the election has been cancelled.
"I filed a petition on the illegality of the election on behalf of the first Vice president Ogoundele-Tessi, who will resume her functions in the COM of St. Martin because the provisions of the electoral law for St. Martin were not complied with and that is the conclusion the Commissary of Government gave a week ago. When his information was published in the newspapers in St. Martin, everyone knows by now that the election will be cancelled since the rapporteur in the State Council, the former commissary of the government, is always respected 95 if not 99 times out of a hundred by the State Council. We are coming back to the same and identical situation as we were after the cancellation of the elections of Mr. Fleming. Félix Rhodes said.
In an invited comment DGA Pascal Avern confirmed that the State Council has invalidated the election. Avern said that while the election was invalidated Gumbs did not receive any type of sanction. He said the former president Gumbs already sent out a press release on the issue. Avern said the next election will be held during the period that is allowed by law. Asked if Gumbs will be running for the seat again Avern said he could not say if Gumbs would be taking up the challenge but he believes that would be the case. Avern also confirmed that the COM would have to re-elect the members of the executive council which according to him is an obligation.
SMN News released information on the possibility of Gumbs being invalidated on March 18th.
When the article was published sources told this media house that Gumbs and the UPP Party who was busy discussing the issue were furious with SMN News. It is said when a particular reporter contacted Gumbs for a statement he made some derogatory remarks against SMN News reporter for breaking the story but refused to go on the record regarding his invalidation.
As stated on RFO News last night St. Martin is back to zero since elected officials have to now re-elect a new president instead of moving the island forward.
In an invited comment Marthe Ogoundele Tessi said while the information that was released was given in the lecture yesterday (Friday) there is no official document released as yet. The former first vice president said her lawyer Félix Rhodes made the announcement in Guadeloupe but she does not know on what grounds the election was cancelled and neither has she seen the conclusions. Ogoundele Tessi said unless she gets those documents she would not make any official comment. Ogoundele Tessi did not say if she intends to run for the presidential seat in the next election. Asked about that she said when she gets the documents she would take a decision on what to do.
SMN News also contacted Alain Richardson leader of RRR who also filed a complaint with the State Council against the August 7th election. Richardson said while it is official that the election of August 7th has been invalidated he did not receive any official documents. Richardson said unless he gets the document he would not be able to comment.
On July 15th 2007 the New Collectivity was installed with Louis Constant Fleming elected President, one year later the State Council sanctioned Fleming for not respecting the guidelines of the 2007 election. Being the head of the UPP list Fleming was removed from his Presidential seat.
Sources close to L. C Fleming told this reporter that Fleming wants to postulate for the seat of the presidency now that his best friend is also sanctioned. However, that seems impossible since the election of the third president will be in one month's time two months before the end of the one year sanction.
The party leader nominated his best friend and colleague in politics Frantz Gumbs who is also the president of the Union Pour Le Progres (UPP) party. On August 7th Gumbs and Marthe Ogoundele Tessi ran for the seat. Something that did not sit well with the UPP party. Several members of the party were not in favor of Gumbs whom they considered a dictator and someone who is arrogant. Many of them it is said had preferred if Louis Jeffry was given the seat, but that was shot down by L. C. Fleming. Sources close to the party said the Fleming wanted to the senator, while Gumbs the President and Jeffry would have postulated for the deputy seat.
Due that conflict within the party the leaders of the party decided to pre-print the ballots with Gumbs name on it for the August 7th election. That was to force the UPP councilors to vote for Gumbs even if they were against him being the president and not for Ogoundele Tessi. Less than one year later Gumbs lost his seat due to the error.
With the current developments St. Martin has become the laughing stock in the French Republic it is proven that those elected are not competent to manage their own party politics more over an island that is looking forward to development.
