(St. Lucia Times)- The United Workers Party (UWP) won a comfortable victory in Saint Lucia’s general elections, according to preliminary results of the poll.
According to the results, the UWP won eleven seats to the SLP’s six.
The swing away from the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) was led by UWP leader Allen Chastanet, who meted out a thrashing to labour’s Guibion Ferdinand in Micoud South.
Chastanet gathered some 2495 votes to his opponent’s 1446.
In the Gros Islet constituency, the UWP’s Lenard Montoute avenged his defeat by seven votes at the last elections by Emma Hippolyte, by winning 6,344 votes to her 4,552.
Therold Prudent of the Lucian People’s Movement (LPM) gained 152 votes.
Former Babonneau MP, Ezechiel Joseph, also avenged his two vote defeat by Alvina Reynolds at the last elections, by winning 3,374 votes to her 2,168.
With just days to go before the elections, Joseph had been accused by former Micoud North MP, Jeannine Compton-Antoine of sexual assault.
Compton-Antoine alleged that the incident occurred while Joseph was Minister of Agriculture.
Joseph had flatly denied the accusation.
Doctor Gale Rigobert, who was the leader of the parliamentary opposition, won the Micoud North seat in a four cornered race with Compton-Antoine, Herbert Roserie of the SLP and Independent, Mc Donald Alexander.
Rigobert gathered 1,930 votes to Roserie’s 885, Compton-Antoine’s 787 and Alexander’s four votes.
Former UWP leader, Stephenson King held on to his Castries North seat by a massive margin, obtaining 3,774 votes to the 1,482 of the SLP’s John Charlery.
Former Castries Central MP, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun defeated Stanley Felix, winning 2104 votes to his 1728.
Flood-Beaubrun entered the race late, replacing Peterson Francis who had been the UWP endorsed candidate for the seat.
Francis bowed out of the race about a month before the June 6, 2016 general elections citing personal reasons while insisting that he jumped and was not pushed into the decision.
In an obvious upset, former Tourism Minister, Lorne Theophilus, lost his Choiseul/Saltibus seat to newcomer, Bradley Felix.
Felix won 2871 votes to 2073 of Theophilus.
Guyana-born Dominic Fedee of the UWP defeated John Victorin in the Anse La Raye, Canaries constituency.
Fedee won 2,472 votes to Victorin’s 2087, while the UWP’s Herold Stanislas won with a tally of 1,051 over the SLP’s Herold Stanislas.
In Dennery South, the UWP’s Edmund Estaphane (1353 votes), won over Gedeon Jerome of the SLP (1167).
Guy Joseph of the UWP (2,127 votes) won over the SLP’s Joachim Henry (1,522 votes) in Castries South East.
Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) leader Doctor Kenny Anthony regained his Vieux Fort South seat, gaining 2,439 votes to Doctor Ulric Mondesir’s 2199.
Mondesir gained some ground this time around.
Anthony won the seat in the last elections with 2,817 votes.
At that time, Mondesir attracted 1,576 votes.
In the SLP stronghold of Laborie, incumbent Alva Baptiste won comfortably over Francisco Jn Pierre by 2094 to 1468 votes with a voter turnout of 55.41 percent.
In Castries East, the SLP’s Philip J. Pierre gained 2901 votes to UWP newcomer Fortuna Belrose’s 2,565.
The SLP’s Ernest Hilaire won 2084 votes in Castries South to the UWP’s Mary Isaac’s 2046.
In Dennery North, Shawn Edward of the SLP (2,271 votes), won over the UWP’s Jimmy Henry (2,140).
In Vieux Fort North,the SLP’s Moses Jn Baptiste( 1743 votes) defeated the UWP’s Prince Ambrose (1,275).
The UWP win sparked spontaneous celebrations in several communities, with motorcades and people dancing in the streets.
Prime Minister elect, Allen Chastanet, said he was “elated” by the victory.
