Election Challenge – By Jeressa Jeremy
Election Challenge Continues Bowen
Randy Baltimore was officially sworn in yesterday as the St Philip’s North representative for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, even though his eligibility is still being contested in court.
Speaking to Observer Radio, attorney Sheffield Bowen broke down what happened at the High Court.
“Before the Court were two applications,” Bowen said. One was the petition to have Randy Baltimore disqualified from being a member of Parliament, and the other was an injunction to stop his swearing-in. Today, the Court dealt with the injunction—and they did not grant it.”
The main issue, Bowen explained, is Baltimore’s status as a public officer when he nominated himself on February 25, 2026.
“On nomination day, he presented himself as a candidate and said he was a customs officer. That form is what the ballot picks up. So, at that point, he was a public servant,” Bowen said.
Baltimore had submitted a resignation on February 18, supposedly effective February 19. But according to Antigua and Barbuda’s public service rules, a public officer must give 90 days’ notice.
Bowen noted that the Public Service Commission later ruled that the resignation was defective and officially terminated Baltimore on March 9.
“The Establishment Division is now saying the termination was effective on February 19,” Bowen added. “But the Public Service Commission never said that. The dispute is still very much alive.”
The case will continue on an expedited basis, with the full hearing expected before April 27. Bowen said the next court date is April 13, emphasizing, “We are confident we’ll be able to show that on February 25, Baltimore was still a public officer. So, the case is far from over.”
