The people of St Kitts and Nevis will only go to the polls to vote in a general election when the federation and its electoral institutions are ready, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has said.

"I am not walking around with the date of the next election in my back pocket as some people think. The date is being properly determined based on the readiness of the country and the readiness of the institutions that will support the elections," the prime minister said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

"These are serious national elections," Dr Douglas said, adding that the general election due by October must be treated with the seriousness that it deserves.

He said the five-member Electoral Boundaries Commission was doing its necessary preparations and that it was due to present a report to the St Kitts and Nevis National Assembly.

Awaiting report

"It has had several meetings. I understand that the Parliament is now waiting on the commission's report. I believe that the report is on its way and as soon as it is within our sights, it will be determined and we shall proceed," said the prime minister.

"When one looks at the extensive nature of that report, which, to a large extent, summarises their extensive work that has been done, I believe that we are going to get a good and reliable report from the commission of parliament," he added.

The electoral reform process started in August 2007 and has resulted in a number of changes to the electoral laws and a new voters list.

The governing St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party controls seven of the 11 seats in the National Assembly. The People's Action Movement controls the other seat on St Kitts, while the Concerned Citizens Movement has two of the three seats on the sister island and the Nevis Reformation Party the other seat.

'I am not walking around with the date of the next election in my back pocket as some people think.'