Mere days after the Elections and Boundaries Commission agreed not to employ a potential Presiding Officer who had publicly declared her loyalty to the PNM, it is now being requested to do the same with a Returning Officer for alleged bias. However this time the EBC is not making the call.
00:00The UNC has delivered a letter to Chief Elections Officer Fern Narciss Cope expressing its concerns about the integrity of the electoral process administered by the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
00:12The UNC is alleging bias on the part of the returning officer for the Electoral District of Coover South.
00:18The party points out that on nomination day, the returning officer allowed the PNM's candidate to drive his vehicle up to the returning officer's office while the UNC's candidate had to walk from the security checkpoint.
00:31The UNC notes that it raised the matter at a meeting with the UNC on 7 April 2025 and demanded that the EBC relieve that returning officer of her responsibilities.
00:42The UNC says it was met with resistance from the EBC and was told the removal of returning officers was not within its power and lies solely with the President.
00:54The UNC is contending that the EBC is wrong to hold that this must be done by the President and says its lawyers have advised the party that the EBC appoints returning officers and not the President.
01:05The UNC sets out the advice of its lawyers to support the view that the EBC has the legal authority to remove the returning officer for Coover South.
01:15The UNC is asking if the EBC received a legal opinion on whether it could remove the returning officer.
01:22The UNC says that during the meeting with the EBC, party officials were told that if they did not agree with the EBC's position, they could take it to court.
01:30The UNC now wants the EBC to disclose publicly the name of the attorney or attorneys who provided an illegal opinion on this issue to the EBC.
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