Phillip Pierre secures second term as PM

CASTRIES (CMC):

The “Mood is Red” prevailed Monday as the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) won a decisive second consecutive five-year term in office.

Supporters of the SLP had long vowed to prevent a repeat of the “yellow is the colour” wave that swept political parties in Trinidad and Tobago and, more recently, St Vincent and the Grenadines. Preliminary results showed the party securing 14 of the 15 seats it contested.

“First of all, I would like to thank the people of St Lucia for conducting what was a very decent election, an election free from violence, and this is testimony to the maturity of our people and the maturity of our democracy,” Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre told jubilant supporters after results indicated the party was on course to surpass its 13-2 victory in the 2021 general election.

Pierre also congratulated Allen Chastanet, leader of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP), who appeared to be the lone successful candidate for his party.

Pierre, 71, said he extended congratulations to the 65-year-old Chastanet “because we think there is a role for the opposition so we could let the fine traditions of democracy prevail.”

The SLP contested 15 seats, as it did in the last election, while backing independent candidates and government ministers Stephenson King and Richard Frederick. Both men won their seats by wide margins.

The National Congress Party, led by a husband-and-wife team, along with six other independent candidates, failed to make an impact.

Pierre is scheduled to be sworn in by the end of the week and appoint a new Cabinet next week.