BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE People’s Action Movement (PAM) has broken its silence following its loss in Monday’s (Jan. 25) election by announcing it will challenge three of the six seats it lost.
In capturing six of the eight constituencies in St. Kitts, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) won more than half of the popular vote. The loss was a major blow to PAM and its supporters, who had predicted a similar victory for themselves after 14 years in opposition.
In Nevis, the Concerned Citizens Movement maintained its two parliamentary seats while the local Nevis Reformation Party government held on to one.
The PAM Deputy Leaders of Shawn Richards and Eugene Hamilton were the party’s only victors in Constituencies Number Five and Eight, respectively, as even party leader Lindsay Grant lost Constituency Number Four to SKNLP newcomer Glenn ‘Ghost’ Phillip by 29 votes. Grant first contested the seat in 2004 and lost by a similarly close margin to now retired Labour politician, Rupert Herbert.
According to PAM’s national campaign manager Marvin Edwards, the voting results in Constituencies Number One, Two and Four will not be accepted “without a fight”. He said the election was clearly manipulated by the SKNLP and pointed to Grant’s loss as a clear indication of his assertion.
“Mr. Grant last year February objected to the wrongful inclusion in the list of voters of 60 persons who do not reside in the Constituency. No adequate arrangements were made by the Office of the Supervisor of Elections for the hearing of the 60 objections.
“It is the position of the People’s Action Movement that Mr. Grant’s alleged loss is due to a corrupt or illegal practice of so widespread a nature as to have affected the outcome,” said Edwards.
PAM Public Relations Officer Wallis Wilkin told SKNVibes the party would hold a press conference tomorrow (Jan. 28) to further explain their post-election position.
In Constituency Number One, Dr. Earl Asim Martin triumphed over Glenroy Blanchette by a little more than 200 votes, while another SKNLP first-timer, Marcella Liburd, beat Roy Fleming by almost 500 votes in Constituency Two.
Constituencies Number Three, Six and Seven were SKNLP blowouts, having all been held by Labour politicians since 1993.
Independent candidates failed to connect with the public, receiving a mere 16 of the 20 000-plus votes that were cast.
Although PAM fared better this year in comparison to the 2000 and 2004 elections when it claimed zero and one seat, respectively, the loss is still a setback to a party that held power for 15 straight years from 1980.
With the news of another close loss for Grant, there have been some calls for him to relinquish the party leadership to either Hamilton or Richards.
While PAM’s overall position remains unclear, the victorious SKNLP is wasting no time in forming the next government. Returning Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas was officially sworn in earlier today (Jan. 27) at Government House and is expected to name his new Cabinet by Sunday.
