New St. Kitts/Nevis PM To Be Sworn In Today

Dr. Timothy Harris with hands raised greets supporters yesterday, Feb. 17, 2015.

By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, Weds. Feb. 17, 2015: After hours of waiting for official election results, confusion in some quarters and a concession from 20-year head of state, Dr. Denzil Douglas, St. Kitts/Nevis will see a new prime minister today.

Newly-elected Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts/Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris of the People’ Labor Party and the Team Unity Coalition, is set to take the oath of office this morning, sources tell NAN.

Harris is set to be sworn in this morning before noon by the country’s current Governor General, Sir Edmund Wickham Lawrence, the man whose hurriedly signed proclamation to change the electoral boundaries prior to the recent election was suspended by the London Privy Council.

His swearing in comes following a historic but controversial election in the Federation.

Harris was the foreign minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the St. Kitts Labor Party government of ousted four-term Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas before being fired. He served in Douglas’ cabinet from August 10, 2001 to January 25, 2013 and has been dubbed a “traitor” by the SKLP for joining with another former Douglas minister and Team Unity candidate, Sam Condor, to form the PLP.

Harris grew up in the rural village of Tabernacle and attended the Cayon High School and Basseterre High School before going on to tertiary education in the Caribbean and Canada.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies and as master’s degree in accounting from the St Augustine Campus of UWI in Trinidad.

Harris also holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in administration majoring in accounting from Concordia University in Montreal Canada.

Also set to be taking the oath of office today is the country’s new attorney general whose name was not released to NAN last night.

The swearing in will come some 48 hours after Kittians and Nevisians went to the poll on Monday, February 16th to elect a new government.  Almost 24 hours after the election, the results were unclear even though Team Unity, had declared a victory to NAN early Tuesday morning.

But with the Supervisor of Elections failing to reveal the official results at 6 p.m. EST yesterday, outgoing prime minister, Dr. Douglas took to the airwaves to deliver a brief concession speech.

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

Team Unity widened its margin of victory in yesterday’s federal elections with a big win in constituency #8 to increase its seats to 7 out of the total 11.

Incumbent parliamentarian, Eugene Hamilton, defeated the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party “springtime candidate” Dr. Terrence Drew, by two hundred and fifty-six votes, a margin of victory almost ten times what it was five years ago.

Team Unity supporters took to the streets in Basseterre in droves to celebrate the win of the opposition alliance comprising the PLP, the Peoples Action Movement and the Concerned Citizens Movement of Nevis.

The St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party won 3 seats and the Nevis Reformation Party 1.