With supporters cheering in Anse La Raye, Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet declared that Prime Minister Philip J Pierre had been forced to call the general election because the Labour government had “run out of ideas”.
Speaking before a crowd of United Workers Party (UWP) supporters on Sunday night, Chastanet said the administration had exhausted its excuses and failed to deliver, leaving it no choice but to “ring the bell”.
“The reason why the election had to be called is because this Labour government has run out of ideas,” Chastanet said to loud cheers. “They’ve run out of excuses, and there’s no amount of lies that the people of Saint Lucia are going to listen to anymore.”
The United Workers Party (UWP) leader was speaking at a public meeting in Anse La Raye, where he was joined by the full slate of UWP candidates in front of enthusiastic supporters.
The event, dubbed “UWP Ring the Bell – Anse La Raye/Canaries Public Meeting”, coincided with an SLP gathering at the Castries Market and followed the Prime Minister’s announcement that general elections will be held on December 1.
Chastanet accused the government of failing to complete the long-delayed St. Jude Hospital project, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Today, after spending $400 million – Kenny Anthony spent $100 million and Philip here now has spent $300 million – and the reason why he is calling the election is because he cannot finish the hospital,” Chastanet charged.
He also claimed the Prime Minister had failed to deliver a promised Citizenship by Investment (CIP) report to Parliament and criticised the administration’s borrowing, which he said had pushed the national debt past $5 billion.
“In less than four and a half years, this government has added $2 billion of debt on the backs of the people of Saint Lucia,” Chastanet said.
He urged voters to choose “delivery over deception” and promised that a UWP government would remove the 2.5% levy, reduce cooking gas prices, introduce health insurance and finally open St. Jude.
“This election is not just about red or yellow. It’s about the difference between right and wrong. There’s only one party in Saint Lucia that has a solution, and that has a plan to deliver to you a better Saint Lucia,” Chastanet said.
Earlier in the evening, former tourism minister and UWP candidate for Anse La Raye/Canaries, Dominic Fedee, rallied supporters with promises of progress and long-term planning.
“We are in this to win this, this time. We are in this to take the country forward,” Fedee declared.
He pointed to local development projects initiated under the UWP, including a fish fry building and a mini hotel, which he said had been neglected since the SLP took office in 2021.
Fedee announced that the party’s manifesto would be released soon, but emphasised the need for a broader vision.
“A manifesto is only for five years in a political cycle,” he said. “And we have to plan for 25 years.”
He proposed a bipartisan “vision plan” for Anse La Raye/Canaries, urging both parties to agree on long-term goals that would transcend political cycles.
Before closing, Fedee encouraged supporters to turn out in full force on election day and to take a family member along to vote.
