St Lucia Prime Minister Chastanet Wins Seat, but Losing Government

Prime Minister of St Lucia Allen Chastanet comfortably won his Micoud South seat in Monday’s general election, but his ruling United Workers Party (UWP) is on track to relinquish the government after a five-year term.

Chastanet polled 2,204 votes against 1,334 for Gideon Ferdinand of the main opposition St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) and five votes for the newly formed National Green Party (GNP)’ candidate Melanie Fraites.

The SLP, which was trounced 11-6 in the 2016 general election, seems to be on track to produce a similar result with the party leading in most of the other constituencies, with former prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony among the successful candidates declared to date.

Independent candidate, Richard Frederick defeated the incumbent Foreign Affairs Minister, Sarah Flood Beaubrun in the Castries Central seat, while in the Castries North constituency, another independent candidate, Stephenson King, a former prime minister, who served as a senior government in the outgoing administration, but contested the election as an independent candidate, is on course to win the seat he has been representing in the Parliament for nearly three decades.

In the Babonneau constituency, Ezechiel Joseph, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Co-operatives lost to newcomer Dr. Virginia Albert Poyette by a margin of 3,200 to 3,180 votes.

(more to follow)