BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC):

A new five-member Constituencies Boundaries Commission has been appointed as part of an electoral reform process ahead of general elections, which are constitutionally due in this twin-island federation by October 2009.

The appointments were made by Governor General Sir Cuthbert Sebastian after consultation with Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas and Leader of the Opposition Mark Brantley.

Attorney-at-law Anthony John-son has been appointed chairman of the Constituencies Boundaries Commission, which also includes Housing and Agriculture Minister Cedric Liburd and Public Works Minister Earl Asim Martin.

The other members of the commission, who received their appointment on September 24, are former Nevis premier, Vance Amory and Michael Perkins.

"This commission will determine the sizes and where the boundaries will be drawn for the various constituencies in St Kitts and Nevis to ensure that the sizes are near equal in accordance with the constitution," a government statement said.

Another of the measures taken as part of an electoral reform process, that began in August 2006, was the purging of 15,000 names from the voters' list, either because those persons were dead or their names appeared more multiple times.