Court weighs challenge to PM Friday and Foreign Minister Bramble over Canadian citizenship

A High Court in Kingstown heard final arguments on Tuesday in a constitutional dispute that threatens the parliamentary seats of Prime Minister Godwin Friday and Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble.

The challenge, brought by Unity Labour Party members Luke Browne and Augustus Williams and represented by Senior Counsel Stuart Young, rests on whether Canadian citizenship violates the nation's Constitution. Section 26 of the Constitution and Section 35 of the Representation of the People Act both prohibit individuals with allegiance to a foreign power or state from serving in the House of Assembly.

Young told Justice Gertel Thom that Friday, despite calling his role "the greatest honour of his life," has kept his Canadian citizenship. The lawyer contended that by taking the naturalisation oath and holding a Canadian passport, both officials have voluntarily triggered disqualification rules that cannot be waived.

"You cannot cherry-pick," Young argued, comparing the foreign citizenship bar to other absolute grounds for disqualification such as being a judge, bankrupt, or mentally unsound. He urged the court to read "foreign state" in the Constitution as it is written, with no hidden exceptions.

Young rejected testimony from Professor Hamid Ghany, an expert witness called by the respondents, as carrying "little or no value." He also pushed back against the argument that Commonwealth ties should be treated differently because both nations share the same monarch, calling that reasoning equivalent to claiming special status.

Young asked the court to declare Browne and Williams the rightful representatives for East Kingstown and the Northern Grenadines, or to void the elections of Friday and Bramble.

After the hearing, Friday told reporters the petitioners' arguments held "nothing surprising" and that he remained "confident about our position as we were at the beginning." Bramble, declining to comment directly on the bid to unseat him, said he was "very confident" the respondents would "prevail."

Young told media the petitioners' closing case "have gone very well," describing their submissions as "very cogent" and "very easy" to follow. He noted the respondents had adopted "a very different approach" and said the petitioners would address their reply in due course.

The dispute began after the November 2025 general election and has stretched over several months. Justice Thom will reserve her decision and issue a final ruling once all submissions are complete.