The United Workers Party says its long-awaited convention will be held “early” in the new year, with leadership expected to be among the major issues settled when members gather.
The announcement comes after months of questions over when the party would hold its next convention and growing public debate over its internal direction following its defeat at the 2025 General Election.
That debate intensified last week when former convention committee chairman Ezechiel Joseph stepped down from the role, alleging in a letter to party chairman Therold Prudent that “there is a deliberate attempt by some to delay the Convention”.
Joseph’s resignation prompted further discussion among longtime UWP figures, some of whom publicly aired concerns about the party, while others defended the process and argued that the UWP was following through on recommendations intended to prepare it for the convention.
Against that backdrop, the party called a press conference on Tuesday to explain where the process now stands.
UWP Public Relations Officer Lenard “Spider” Montoute traced the party’s steps back to its 2025 election loss, saying an independent review was commissioned to examine both its performance at the polls and its internal operations.
The findings were presented to the party’s executive in August, after which members agreed to hold a retreat to discuss the report and decide how its recommendations should be carried forward.
According to Montoute, the review identified a number of areas requiring attention, including leadership, the structure and governance of the national executive, the role of constituency branches, candidate selection, discipline, member participation, finance and internal elections.
It also looked at how the party could strengthen accountability, improve its internal governance and ensure greater legitimacy around future leadership decisions.
Those recommendations are expected to go before the UWP’s National Council this month for consideration and ratification.
Montoute strongly rejected suggestions that the convention was already overdue.
“We are expected to stage our national bi-ennial convention early in the new year where a number of matters such as constitutional changes, structural changes and leadership questions will be settled,” he said.
The last UWP convention was held three years ago, and the timing of the next one has become a recurring issue among supporters and within the wider political discussion.
Leadership has been a particularly sensitive question since Allen Chastanet offered to resign after the party’s 2025 election defeat. The UWP’s National Council rejected that resignation and said he would remain political leader until the next convention.
Earlier this year, Chastanet also acknowledged that the party was weighing whether to hold the convention first or complete internal reforms before taking that step.
For now, the UWP says that process is moving toward a conclusion.
Montoute encouraged supporters to become active members of their constituency branches and take part in what he described as the effort to reinvigorate the party ahead of the convention.
