Government Will Not Proceed with Constitutional Amendment until Full Public Debate

By S.Browne. Updated 9:11 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).


Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday said the Government will not move forward with proposed amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act until there has been full public debate.

Speaking in the House of Assembly, the Prime Minister said the proposed reforms are matters of national importance and require broad public discussion.

He said draft legislation has already been prepared and the Government intends to allow for wide engagement and discussion before any further action is taken.

He added that the process will be paused until responses from the public are received.

Here is the full transcript of the Prime Minister’s remarks in Parliament.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have had a very long and productive day in this Honourable House, and we recognise that there are two items on the order paper to be dealt with. Our position is, Madam Speaker, that these matters, they are important, broadly important to the public discourse. We are intending to address these matters, the amendment of the Representation of the People Act and the Constitution of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the way that we have put in the draft legislation. These are our proposals, Madam Speaker. We wish to have, of course to have broad and wide discussion of it. And so we invite that sort of engagement. And therefore, Madam Speaker, this matter, we will not be proceeding any further now at this point until we have had these full responses from the public debate on these two very important matters.

END