PM Denzil Douglas Concedes Defeat In St. Kitts/Nevis Elections

Ousted PM Denzil Douglas

By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, Tues. Feb. 17, 2015 – 6:10 pm. EST: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas has conceded defeat in the February 16th election, even though the official election results have not been announced.

Appearing in a national address at 6 p.m. on the government-owned ZIZ television, Douglas extended congratulations to the coalition parties of the Peoples Action Movement, the Peoples Labor Party and the Concerned Citizens Movement, which under the Team Unity banner secured enough seats unofficially to win the election.

In a two minute address, a sharply dressed Douglas insisted that governments in St. Kitts/Nevis are chosen “not by decree but by the will of the people.”

He said he will forever treasure the opportunity he had been given to serve the people of the Federation and wished the new government well.

The country’s supervisor of elections, Wingrove George, has so far not announced the official results of the election held across the country in 11 constituencies Monday.

George has been so far criticized by several civic groups who have threatened legal action could follow if the results continue to be delayed. Even St. Vincent & the Grenadines prime minister, has weighed in, urging George to release the results.

But Team Unity has unofficially secured 7 of the 11 seats needed to form the government.

Premier Armory and Labor Party MP and minister, Marcella Liburd are the only two seats declared officially.

Amory easily retained his seat in the federal parliament for Constituency 10 over newcomer Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) candidate, Cory Tyson, by 754 votes to 306, respectively.

Liburd won a closely contested race in Central Basseterre (Constituency 2) over People’s Action Movement (PAM) candidate and newcomer, Jonel Powell, 1,775 to 1,643

In Nevis Constituency number 9, Mark ‘The Sherrif’ Brantley, the island’s deputy premier and also of the CCM Party, is the unofficial winner. n St. Kitts Team Unity’s Prime Ministerial candidate and People’s Labor Party candidate, Dr. Timothy Harris has unofficially won his seat in Constituency 7 while PAM’s Eugene Hamilton is also deemed a winner.

In Constituency number 1 in St. Kitts, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd has unofficially beaten SKLP’s Asim Martin while PAM’s Lindsay Grant is said to be the winner in Constituency #4.

Not a single vote has been released in Constituency #5 but PAM leader Shawn Richards has reportedly won over SKLP’s Norgen Wilson by 334 votes.

Patrice Nisbett of the Nevis Reformation Party in Nevis and a senator in the St. Kitts Labor Party government of Douglas, was locked in a battle with Alexis Jeffers of the CCM and a minister in the Nevis Island administration.

Reports of electoral list errors and voter disenfranchisement in Monday’s election in St. Kitts/Nevis were widespread even as claims of polling stations staying open way beyond the 6 p.m. closing time to allow overseas voters being brought in by the ruling party and the NRP in Nevis on chartered flights to vote, surfaced.

Kittians and Nevisians were flown in on chartered jets from the U.S., Canada and across the Caribbean by all sides to increase the voter tally at the ballot boxes.

The lead up to the election had been fraught with legal battles over a hastily pushed through electoral boundaries change by the government that was subsequently overturned by the UK Privy Council.

This as parties hammered each other on the campaign trail and Dr. Douglas dubbed himself ‘ten man in one’ while entering his own ‘unity’ contract with the opposition NRP party in Nevis.

Several Jamaican singers were also thrown in the mix to sing their way into the hearts of swing votes while a Labor candidate announced to Nevis supporters he had “one shot for the Sherriff,” as the CCM’s Brantley is affectionately called.

Opposition parties also complained of receiving the voter’s list hours before the election and of seeing a new list on Monday morning that resulted in several voters being unable to find their names on the list and being unable to vote. They also complained of discrepancies surrounding of the early voting done by emergency workers on Saturday.