By Peter Richards
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Nov 30, CMC -St. Lucians go to the polls on Monday to elect a new government, with the leaders of the two main political parties seeking both divine intervention and the goodwill of the voters in this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre, who is leading the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) into a general election for the second consecutive occasion, called the poll almost one year before the constitutional deadline and remains confident that the party will maintain or even improve on the 13 seats it won in the July 2021 election.
“St. Lucia, tomorrow we make our voices heard. Make a plan to vote. Ensure that you know the location of your polling station. The only way to ensure continued progress for all is to put the X next to the STAR,” the 71-year-old Pierre wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.
“To the people of St. Lucia, thank you for your prayers, your strength, and your unwavering faith throughout my years of service. Every step of this journey has been guided by your support and by God’s grace.
“It is an honour to serve you. We have come this far because we moved forward together. And tomorrow, you decide if we continue this journey we started. Let us hold the line. Let us stand together. Let us move forward together. May God bless you, and may God bless our beloved St. Lucia.
“As we approach tomorrow’s polls, Monday, December 1st, we are reminded by Psalm 33:12 that ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.’ This moment calls us to reflect on the future we desire for our families, our communities, and our beloved St. Lucia,” Pierre added.
Not to be outdone, Allen Chastanet, who is leading the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) into the general election, hoping to reverse the thrashing it received at the last general election when he was the then prime minister, is also seeking God’s intervention.
“As our nation prepares to vote tomorrow, we ask for Your peace, wisdom, and protection. Calm every anxious heart, keep every community safe, and guide us to choose leaders who will uplift our people,” he too wrote on his Facebook page.
“Bless our election workers, our officers, and every citizen who will cast a vote. Let unity triumph over division, hope over fear, and truth over confusion. Lord, watch over St. Lucia. May tomorrow bring clarity, calm, and a better future for all,” he wrote.
Addressing the last major rally of the party in Choiseul on the south west of the island on Saturday night, Chastanet, 65, said that he has the right team “that is going to develop St. Lucia and bring you hope once again”.
He said the UWP is hoping to replicate the victories of political parties in the Caribbean, where “yellow is the code”.
“Yellow is taking over the Caribbean…we had our sister party in Trinidad and Tobago…bring hope to the Trinidadians and two nigs ago, our brothers and sisters in St. Vincent and the Grenadines took down the Comrade (Ralph Gonsalves) himself…and brought victory, and they say yellow is the colour,” Chastanet told supporters.
UWP leader Allen Chastanet, in a silent moment
The newly elected St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Godwin Friday, in a message to the UWP, said his party was looking forward to the elections on Monday, “and we wish you all the best..
“We know the people of St. Lucia will decide on the new government, but this is something that we take a very keen interest in as fellow Caribbean citizens and sister party to yours,” he added.
But political analyst Rhyesa Joseph told the St. Lucia Times that several indicators are likely to influence how citizens cast their ballots.
“Constituency-level politics vary throughout the island, and there are different kinds of voters. Some of the considerations include national leadership and governance, parliamentary representation, quality of the opposition candidate, and trust and confidence in political affiliation,” Joseph said.
The St. Lucia Electoral Department has said that 44 candidates and eight independents have been nominated to contest the elections, which political observers acknowledge is a straight fight between the ruling SLP and the UWP.
They note that the husband and wife National Congress Party is not expected to make any inroads into the two seats they are contesting, where government ministers Richard Fredericka and Stephenson King are seeking another five-year term as “independent” candidates.
In the July 26, 2021, election, both King, a former prime minister, and Frederick, both former UWP members, contested and won the Castries North and Castries Central, respectively, and later threw their support behind the ruling SLP, accepting senior government positions.
But political observers say this time around, they will face a stiffer challenge to hold on to the seats, with King alone facing four challengers.
Former prime minister Michael “Mikey” Pilgrim has endorsed Stanley Felix, an SLP member who is contesting the Castries Central seat against Frederick as an independent candidate.
In a television broadcast last week, Pilgrim, 78, a SLP member, served as the island’s fourth prime minister for four months from January 18, 1982, succeeding Winston Cenac, issued a sharp warning to voters in Castries Central, urging them to reject candidates he claimed “lack the integrity and discipline required for public office”.
The elections will be monitored by observer teams from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
The St. Lucia Electoral Department said that 180,000 have been registered to vote in the election, and Chief Elections Officer Herman St. Helen said that when the election date was announced on November 9, “we saw a spike in people registering, especially young people.
He said that for this election, the last qualifying date was July 15 and maintains that the 2025 general election on December 1 will be free and fair.
St. Helen alluded to allegations of corruption, which he said the Department had been prepared to take to the courts.
In the last general election, where 174,332 people were registered to vote, the turnout was 89,049 or 51.47 per cent.
It is a statistic that has not eluded the Voice newspaper, the oldest publication on the island.
The paper noted that in 1979, the country recorded an 80 percent voter turnout, the highest from that period onwards.
But it noted that since then, there has been a drastic decline in the number of eligible voters exercising their franchise.
“To make matters worse, that steady decline saw a 50 per cent voter turnout of the 2021 general elections, making it the worst to date. Just over 87,000 individuals went to the ballot boxes the last time out. Talk about someone else making decisions for you.
“It is clear that, for whatever reason, St. Lucians have abdicated their right and responsibilities in the proper management of their country. What is equally clear is that the results of any election might have been different had the turnout seen better numbers,” the paper noted.
It said that voting, to some, “seems like a burden,” but reminded the population that “ this is a small ask compared to the enormity of this activity. After all, it is only once every five years or so (most of the time).
“The choice is clear – there is no choice. All must vote. It is a civic duty owed to ourselves, and even more importantly, to future generations. On Monday, go out and vote,” the paper said.
Both Pierre and Chastanet have also been urging voters to go out and exercise their franchise.
“Over the last four and a half years, you have kept the faith,” Chastanet said, adding that he is overwhelmed by the number of people who have been praying for a better St. Lucia.
“So I want to say to all of us.. this Labour government will stop at nothing to hold on to power and on Monday let us go early, let us be prepared to be there late, but let us not be deterred from what we have to do, which is to rescue St. Lucia from this Labour party…let us make sure on December 1 we get the job done,” Chastanet said.
He reiterated that the last four and half years the country’s democracy has been under threat and “when we go to vote on December 1, remember when you are in the box, nobody knows how you vote…but you must know that the time your voice can be heard the loudest …and you cast your vote and I know you are going to cast your vote to bring about change in the country,” he said.
Pierre said that St. Lucians must continue the development programme of his administration, saying “this moment calls us to reflect on the future we desire for our families, our communities, and our beloved St. Lucia”.
Pierre said that the party’s manifesto had been “shaped by the lived experiences of ordinary St. Lucians, written in your homes, your communities, your daily struggles, and your resilience.
“Our economy is not just about numbers; it is the lifeline for families, businesses, workers, and young people seeking employment and opportunity. It reminds us that stability is essential for progress.
“We have ensured that national development reaches every St. Lucian, and we know that we must embrace our identity, our culture, and the power that comes from believing in ourselves.
“These voices speak of dignity, equity, identity, and the power of believing in ourselves. They guide our path and strengthen our resolve as we build a future where every Saint Lucian can rise,” Pierre said.
CMC/prir/2025