Saint Kitts and Nevis general election, 2010

Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Saint Kitts and Nevis
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General elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 25 January 2010 for eleven of the fourteen or fifteen seats in the National Assembly. The other three or four members of the National Assembly will be appointed by the Governor-General after the elections.

The ruling Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), led by Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, won a fourth term in office.[1][2][3] It was opposed in the campaign by the opposition People's Action Movement (PAM), led by Lindsay Grant. Both parties received much of their support from the island of Saint Kitts, which chooses eight of the eleven elected members of the National Assembly.[4]

On the neighboring island of Nevis, local parties, including the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and the Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM), vied for three seats in the National Assembly. Support from Nevisian political parties could decide control of the national government in a tight election.[4]

The continuing economic crisis was a major issue in the campaign.[4] The national debt of Saint Kitts and Nevis had risen to US$2 billion under the SKNLP government,[5] roughly $50,000 per citizen. Prime Minister Denzil Douglas shrugged off accusations that he had let the debt spiral upward during his fifteen years in office:

"It is important for me to state that St. Kitts and Nevis has never missed any payments on the national debt under Labour. This is very important. Many countries owe less, but are repeatedly unable to service their debt."[5]

Election background

Before the 2010 election, the Labour Party controlled seven of the eight seats allocated to the island of Saint Kitts in the Assembly. The opposition People's Action Movement (PAM) controlled the other Saint Kitts seat. From nearby Nevis, the Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) controlled two of Nevis' three seats in the Assembly, while the opposition Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) controlled the other seat.[6]

Prime Minister Douglas, speaking to a crowd of approximately 15,000 in Basseterre on 9 January 2010, announced the dates for the upcoming election. He set Nomination Day for 15 January 2010, with the general election to be held on 25 January.[6]

Voting

Armed police had to respond to protests alleging voting irregularities in the constituency where the PAM leader Lindsay Grant was up against Glen "Ghost" Phillips of the SKNLP. PAM supporters contended that "outsiders" were being brought into the Half Way Tree Community Centre, seven miles (11 km) from the capital Basseterre, to vote.[7] Elsewhere in the country, voting was reported to be calm "amidst overcast skies following some intermittent morning showers."[8]

Results

On Saint Kitts, the SKNLP won six out of the eight seats. The PAM gained a new National Assembly member, Eugene Hamilton, while PAM deputy leader Shawn Richards retained his seat.[1] Prime Minister Denzil Douglas retained his seat for Constituency Six by a margin of 1905 votes to 179.[2]

On Nevis, the Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) won two seats, with the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) taking the third.[1]

 Summary of the 25 January 2010 National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis election results
Parties Votes % Seats
Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party 12,227 46.96 6
People's Action Movement 8,393 32.24 2
Concerned Citizens' Movement 2,860 10.99 2
Nevis Reformation Party 2,539 9.75 1
Independents 16 0.06 —
Appointed members (Senators) 3
Ex-officio member (the Attorney General) 1
Total (turnout 81.24%) 26,035 100.00 15
Sources: ZIZ News, SKNVibes.com

References

  1. 1 2 3 St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party elected to a fourth consecutive term in office – Two new comers on the Labour Party Parliamentary slate and one more for the opposition, ZIZ News, 26 January 2010, archived from the original on July 16, 2011
  2. 1 2 Labour Party wins fourth term in St. Kitts-Nevis general elections, Dominica News Online, 25 January 2010
  3. ↑ "St. Kitts ruling party wins in early elections", Washington Post, 26 January 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 "St Kitts and Nevis on final stretch", Stabroek News, 23 January 2010
  5. 1 2 "St. Kitts voters cast ballots in early elections", Washington Post, 25 January 2010
  6. 1 2 St Kitts-Nevis goes to the polls on January 25, Caribbean Net News, 9 January 2010
  7. ↑ "Army, police called to quell St Kitts election disturbance", Jamaica Observer, 25 January 2010.
  8. ↑ Voters turn out in numbers to cast their ballots ... percentage of voter turn out could be high, ZIZ News, 25 January 2010, archived from the original on July 16, 2011
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