Saint Lucian general election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Saint Lucia general election took place in Saint Lucia
on 11 December 2006. The election was fought between the Saint Lucia Labour Party
(SLP) and the United Workers Party
(UWP) which between them dominated politics in Saint Lucia. The results saw the governing Saint Lucia Labour Party lose the election to the United Workers Party led by John Compton
, which gained eight seats to hold an eleven to six majority.
seeing them win 14 seats to only 3 for the United Workers Party.
However in 2005 John Compton came out of retirement to become leader of the opposition United Workers Party again. Compton had led Saint Lucia to independence in 1979 and then been Prime Minister from 1982 until he resigned in 1996. Compton defeated Vaughan Lewis
in an election for the leadership of the United Workers Party with Lewis later defecting
from the UWP to fight the 2006 election for the Saint Lucia labour Party.
A by-election
in Castries
Central in March 2006 was seen as starting a long campaign for the election due in December. The by-election was won by an Independent
candidate Richard Frederick
in a seat which the Saint Lucia Labour Party had won in the last two elections. Frederick would later join the United Workers Party and stood for the party in the general election.
, which they said was to blame for much of the crime in Saint Lucia. They also promised to revive the banana industry in Saint Lucia and accused the Saint Lucia Labour Party of corruption and nepotism
. However the age of the United Workers Party leader John Compton, at 81, became an issue with the Saint Lucia Labour Party calling on voters to not entrust the country to him.
The governing Saint Lucia Labour Party defended their record in office and put the strong economic growth over the last few years at the centre of their campaign. They also pledged to continue tackling crime in Saint Lucia and to bring in a mandatory capital punishment
for anyone convicted of murder
. The Saint Lucia Labour Party received assistance in the campaign from the Prime Ministers of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica
who both spoke in favour of the party at rallies.
The police commissioner
in Saint Lucia described the election as the most peaceful yet in Saint Lucia with election monitors from CARICOM and the Organisation of American States observing the election. Four opinion poll
s as the election neared showed differing results with each political party favoured by two of the polls. There was controversy over the release of a poll two days before the election which strongly favoured the Saint Lucia Labour Party, with the United Workers Party describing it as a "laughing stock" as it had been conducted back on the 25 and 26 November.
, and Compton became Prime Minister again at the age of 81.
results in the election were as follows.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
on 11 December 2006. The election was fought between the Saint Lucia Labour Party
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:...
(SLP) and the United Workers Party
United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)
The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:...
(UWP) which between them dominated politics in Saint Lucia. The results saw the governing Saint Lucia Labour Party lose the election to the United Workers Party led by John Compton
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, PC was the first, fifth and eighth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia in 1979, from 1982 to 1996, and from 2006 until his death. Compton, who previously led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, was the country's first leader when it became independent...
, which gained eight seats to hold an eleven to six majority.
Background
The last two elections in 1997 and 2001 had seen victories for the Saint Lucia Labour Party with the previous election in 2001Saint Lucian general election, 2001
General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 3 December 2001. The result was a victory for the Saint Lucia Labour Party, which won fourteen of the seventeen seats. Voter turnout was 52.3%.-Results:...
seeing them win 14 seats to only 3 for the United Workers Party.
However in 2005 John Compton came out of retirement to become leader of the opposition United Workers Party again. Compton had led Saint Lucia to independence in 1979 and then been Prime Minister from 1982 until he resigned in 1996. Compton defeated Vaughan Lewis
Vaughan Lewis
Vaughan Lewis is a Saint Lucian politician and a former member of the ruling United Workers' Party . He served for a brief period as the fourth Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia following the resignation of John Compton. Lewis, a former director of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States,...
in an election for the leadership of the United Workers Party with Lewis later defecting
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
from the UWP to fight the 2006 election for the Saint Lucia labour Party.
A by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
Central in March 2006 was seen as starting a long campaign for the election due in December. The by-election was won by an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate Richard Frederick
Richard Frederick
Richard Frederick is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician who was Minister for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban Renewal and Local Government. Born on August 6, 1965, he is the tenth of twelve children and the last of five boys...
in a seat which the Saint Lucia Labour Party had won in the last two elections. Frederick would later join the United Workers Party and stood for the party in the general election.
Campaign
In the campaign the United Workers Party focused on crime, which they saw as increasing, and promised to make it a priority if they were elected. Their leader Compton pledged to tackle unemploymentUnemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
, which they said was to blame for much of the crime in Saint Lucia. They also promised to revive the banana industry in Saint Lucia and accused the Saint Lucia Labour Party of corruption and nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
. However the age of the United Workers Party leader John Compton, at 81, became an issue with the Saint Lucia Labour Party calling on voters to not entrust the country to him.
The governing Saint Lucia Labour Party defended their record in office and put the strong economic growth over the last few years at the centre of their campaign. They also pledged to continue tackling crime in Saint Lucia and to bring in a mandatory capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
for anyone convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. The Saint Lucia Labour Party received assistance in the campaign from the Prime Ministers of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
who both spoke in favour of the party at rallies.
The police commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
in Saint Lucia described the election as the most peaceful yet in Saint Lucia with election monitors from CARICOM and the Organisation of American States observing the election. Four opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
s as the election neared showed differing results with each political party favoured by two of the polls. There was controversy over the release of a poll two days before the election which strongly favoured the Saint Lucia Labour Party, with the United Workers Party describing it as a "laughing stock" as it had been conducted back on the 25 and 26 November.
Election results
The results saw the United Workers Party gain a majority in the election, winning 11 of the 17 seats. While the United Workers Party won a strong majority of the seats they were only around 2,000 votes, or 3%, ahead of the Saint Lucia Labour Party. The election resulted in John Compton succeeding Kenny AnthonyKenny Anthony
Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011...
, and Compton became Prime Minister again at the age of 81.
Constituency results
The seventeen constituencyElectoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
results in the election were as follows.
| Constituency | Winner | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Anse la Raye Anse La Raye Anse la Raye is a town in Saint Lucia; it is located on the island's western side, near Marigot Bay. It is a picturesque place with fine examples of French and English colonial architecture.... /Canaries |
Keith Mondesir Keith Mondesir Keith Raymond Rufus Mondesir is a Saint Lucian politician. He has been a United Workers Party member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia and a member of the Saint Lucian cabinet since 2006, serving in the administrations of John Compton and Stephenson King.-Early life and career in... |
United Workers Party United Workers Party (Saint Lucia) The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:... gain |
| Babonneau Babonneau Babonneau is one of the regions of Saint Lucia, and is located in the northwest of the island.-References:*... |
Ezekiel Joseph Ezekiel Joseph Ezekiel Joseph is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Babonneau for the United Workers Party. Joseph won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006. In the government of Prime Minister John Compton, sworn in on 19 December 2006, he was appointed Minister for... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Castries Central | Richard Frederick Richard Frederick Richard Frederick is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician who was Minister for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban Renewal and Local Government. Born on August 6, 1965, he is the tenth of twelve children and the last of five boys... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Castries East | Philip Pierre Philip Pierre Philip J. Pierre is a Saint Lucian politician representing the Castries East constituency for the Saint Lucia Labour Party. Pierre won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006.-References:... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:... hold |
| Castries North | Stephenson King Stephenson King Stephenson Toby King was the sixth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He represents the constituency of Castries North for the United Workers Party in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. King won the elections in 2006, unseating the incumbent Minister of Agriculture Ignatius Jean... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Castries South | Robert Lewis Robert Lewis Robert Lewis was an American actor, director, teacher, author and founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947.... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party hold |
| Castries South East | Guy Joseph Guy Joseph Guy Eardley Joseph is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Castries South East for the United Workers Party. Joseph won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006, defeating Menissa Rambally... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Choiseul Choiseul Quarter Choiseul is a Quarter of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. Located on the southwestern side of the island, the quarter is home to 6,174 people, according to the 2002 census... |
Rufus Bousquet Rufus Bousquet Rufus George Bousquet is a Saint Lucian politician who formerly represented the constituency of Choiseul for the United Workers Party. Bousquet won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006.However lost to Lorne Theophilus in the November 2011 General Elections.Bousquet served in... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Dennery North | Marcus Nicholas Marcus Nicholas Marcus Neill Nicholas is a Saint Lucian politician representing the Dennery North constituency for the United Workers Party in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. He is also the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.... |
United Workers Party hold |
| Dennery South | Edmund Estephane Edmund Estephane Edmund Estephane is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Dennery South for the United Workers Party. Estephane won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006. In the government of Prime Minister John Compton, sworn in on 19 December 2006, Estephane was named... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Gros Islet Gros Islet Gros Islet is a community located near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has gone on to become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country.... |
Lenard Montoute Lenard Montoute Born June 30 1962, Lenard Spider Montoute is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Gros Islet for the United Workers Party . He is currently Minister for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development and Youth and Sports.Montoute won the seat from Gros... |
United Workers Party gain |
| Laborie Laborie Laborie is a village on the south coast of Saint Lucia. It was originally called l'Islet a Caret after the Loggerhead sea turtles that were found in the area. The name Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie who was the French governor of Saint Lucia from 1784-1789... |
Alva Baptiste Alva Baptiste Alva Romanus Baptiste is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Laborie for the Saint Lucia Labour Party. Baptiste won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006.-References:... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party hold |
| Micoud North | John Compton John Compton Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, PC was the first, fifth and eighth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia in 1979, from 1982 to 1996, and from 2006 until his death. Compton, who previously led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, was the country's first leader when it became independent... |
United Workers Party hold |
| Micoud South | Arsene James Arsene James Born October 30 1944, Arsene James is a Saint Lucian politician and former Leader of the Opposition. He represents the Micoud South constituency for the United Workers' Party... |
United Workers Party hold |
| Soufriere Soufrière, Saint Lucia Soufrière is a quarter on the Southwest coast of Saint Lucia in the West Indies. Soufrière was the former capital of Saint Lucia during times of French rule. It is now a small sleepy fishing port with an emerging tourism industry... |
Harold Dalson Harold Dalson Harold Dalson is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Soufriere for the Saint Lucia Labour Party. Dalson won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006.-References:... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party hold |
| Vieux Fort Vieux Fort Quarter Vieux Fort is located in the southern part of St. Lucia. It is the second-largest town on the island and is the home of St Lucia's international airport, Hewanorra International Airport.... North |
Moses Jean Baptiste Moses Jean Baptiste Moses Jn. Baptiste is a St. Lucian politician. He is the Parliamentary Representative for Vieux Fort North.Jn. Baptiste resides in Pierrot, Vieux-Fort. Before entering politics, Moses was an agricultural science teacher at the Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School Campus A and then moved on to... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party hold |
| Vieux Fort South | Kenny Anthony Kenny Anthony Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party hold |