General election in St. Lucia 2006
The parliamentary elections in St. Lucia in 2006 ( English general elections ) were the nineteenth parliamentary elections in St. Lucia .
Political situation
The elections took place on December 11, 2006; During the election campaign, the Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP) and the United Workers Party (UWP) competed and the ruling Saint Lucia Labor Party ultimately lost to the United Workers Party. Under the leadership of John Compton , the UWP gained eight seats, a majority of eleven to six.
background
The two previous elections in 1997 and 2001 had won the Saint Lucia Labor Party . In the last election in 2001 , the party even won 14 seats, leaving only 3 for the United Workers Party.
In 2005, however, John Compton returned from retirement to run again as opposition leader for the UWP. Compton led Saint Lucia to independence in 1979 and was Prime Minister from 1982 until he resigned in 1996. Compton won in a party leadership vote against Vaughan Lewis and Lewis later left the UWP to run for the SLP in the 2006 election.
A by-election in Castries Central in March 2006 marked the start of a long campaign for the December elections. The independent candidate Richard Frederick won the seat that had previously been secured twice for the Saint Lucia Labor Party. Frederick later joined the United Workers Party and also ran for the general election.
campaign
During the election campaign, the United Workers Party focused on fighting crime as it saw crime rates grow and promised to make it a priority. Compton also promised to fight unemployment as he saw it as a major factor in many crimes in Saint Lucia. The party also promised to revive the banana industry in Saint Lucia and accused the SLP of corruption and nepotism . However, the age of the party leader Compton also became a campaign issue, as the SLP called on voters not to entrust the votes to Compton at the age of 81.
The ruling Saint Lucia Labor Party defended its successes and committed itself to the strong economic growth of recent years. She also promised to fight crimes in Saint Lucia and to advocate the death penalty for convicted murderers . The SLP received campaign support from the Prime Ministers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica , who both delivered electoral speeches.
The Police Commissioner in Saint Lucia described the election as the most peaceful in Saint Lucia to date. Election observers from CARICOM and the Organization of American States attended the elections. Four opinion polls in the run-up to the elections showed very unsteady results and there was controversy over the publication of a poll two days before the election in which the SLP was the clear favorite. The UWP referred to this as “laughing stock”, as this survey took place on November 25th and 26th.
Election results
The United Workers Party again received the majority with 11 of the 17 seats, but only by an overall lead of approx. 2,000 votes, or 3%. John Compton took over from Kenny Anthony and became Prime Minister again at the age of 81.
| Political party | be right | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Workers Party | 38,894 | 51.3 | 11 |
| Saint Lucia Labor Party | 36,604 | 48.3 | 6th |
| Independent | 258 | 0.3 | 0 |
| Total | 75,756 | 100 | 17th |
| Voters | 151,466 | 58.5 | - |
| Source: | |||
Results in the 17 constituencies
| Constituency | winner | Political party |
|---|---|---|
| Anse la Raye / Canaries | Keith Mondesir | United Workers Party gain |
| Babonneau | Ezekiel Joseph | UWP gain |
| Castries Central | Richard Frederick | UWP gain |
| Castries East | Philip Pierre | Saint Lucia Labor Party receipt |
| Castries North | Stephenson King | UWP gain |
| Castries South | Robert Lewis | SLP receipt |
| Castries South East | Guy Joseph | UWP gain |
| Choiseul | Rufus Bousquet | UWP gain |
| Dennery North | Marcus Nicholas | UWP receipt |
| Dennery South | Edmund Estephane | UWP gain |
| Gros Islet | Lenard Montoute | UWP gain |
| Laborie | Alva Baptiste | SLP receipt |
| Micoud North | John Compton | UWP receipt |
| Micoud South | Arsene James | UWP receipt |
| Soufriere | Harold Dalson | SLP receipt |
| Vieux Fort North | Moses Jean Baptiste | SLP receipt |
| Vieux Fort South | Kenny Anthony | SLP receipt |
Individual evidence
- ^ Electoral History Saint Lucia Electoral Department.
- ^ St Lucia Gov't tipped for landslide third term. In: The Jamaica Observer 2006-12-10.
- ↑ a b Sir John Compton. Obituary in: The Daily Telegraph , London 2007-09-10.
- ↑ Polly Pattullo: Sir John Compton. Obituary in: guardian.co.uk , London 2007-09-09.
- ↑ a b UWP wins St Lucia polls . Caribbean360 . December 12, 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
- ↑ a b c d ST LUCIA: The day of reckoning . Jamaica Gleaner . December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ St Lucia by election victory for independent candidate . Caribbean Net News. March 14, 2006. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ↑ a b Compton is back in power in St Lucia. BBC Online 2006-12-12.
- ↑ a b c Independence hero claims victory . Caymanian Compass. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ↑ a b Challenges for Compton in St Lucia's aftershock poll. In: The Jamaica Observer. 2006-12-13.
- ↑ ST LUCIA: Compton's age takes center stage . Jamaica Gleaner. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2007. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ After St Lucia, where next? In: The Jamaica Observer 2006-12-17.
- ↑ ST LUCIA: CARICOM, OAS to monitor polls . Jamaica Gleaner . November 21, 2006. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ↑ ST LUCIA: Bill Johnson poll fire under . Jamaica Gleaner . December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ St Lucia legislative election of 11 December 2006 . Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
