Following a sweeping loss in the December 1 general election, many United Workers Party (UWP) candidates released messages containing gratitude, reflection, and resilience to their supporters.
The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) secured a second consecutive term in office, winning 14 of 17 seats. The UWP retained one seat, while the two independent candidates — both aligned with the SLP — retained their seats.
In a series of Facebook posts, UWP candidates publicly thanked voters, acknowledged the results, and signalled their intentions to continue serving their communities despite the loss.
Allen Chastanet, the sole UWP candidate to retain his constituency, Micoud South, addressed his supporters with a lengthy and sincere message following the sweeping election loss.
“My friends, you the people have spoken. While the results were not what we hoped for, I accept them with humility, respect and an unwavering love for our country. I extend congratulations to Prime Minister Pierre and his team. I also want to thank every candidate who stood boldly under the UWP banner and every supporter who gave their time, energy and heart to this campaign…
“To the people of Micoud South who I consider my extended family, thank you… It is not the end of our fight for a better Saint Lucia. It is simply a new chapter. We may not have won this election, but we have not lost our purpose.”
Chastanet closed his message with blessings for the country.
Deputy Leader of the UWP, Guy Joseph, who famously lost Castries South East in 2021 after holding the seat since 2006, again suffered defeat. He wrote: “I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to the people of Castries South East for their support and belief in me during this journey… The outcome may not have been what we wanted, but we respect the decision of the majority of Saint Lucians.”
Joseph called for unity and healing following a fiercely competitive campaign.
In Choiseul/Saltibus, two-term MP Bradley Felix lost his seat to newcomer Keithson Kiffo Charles. Felix leaned on scripture and optimism as he addressed supporters: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord… ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
Felix acknowledged the pain of loss, but urged unity: “The results did not go as expected but has been accepted… This is not the time to point fingers or lay blame but to unite and demand the best for our constituency.”
Also accepting defeat were former senator and first-time candidate Marcella Johnson, who campaigned for the Gros Islet seat. Johnson thanked her supporters and Gros Islet residents before emphasising her continued commitment saying, “I am not going anywhere… My commitment to you does not end with an election result. Losing a round is not losing the fight. This is only the beginning.
In one of the closest races of the night, Dennery South candidate Benson Emile lost out against the incumbent Alfred Prospere. Following the loss, Emile thanks his supporters and called for integrity in governance
“The people have spoken and we must respect democracy. I urge that you do right by all Saint Lucians and serve with integrity.”
You fought the good fight. Don’t be disheartened you’re the only one returning to Parliament this time around. It will be tough stepping into the lion’s den. But look to God, he’s the ultimate protector and guider. Be strong sir, you are in our prayers. God is in control.
The misunderstanding which I believe that most Politicians ( and many others ) appear to suffer from is focusing on ‘ The Party ‘ rather than the people
If there are sufficient like minded voters who want to obtain positions of authority to run a country, then they need a formal organization to follow an agenda – hence the need for a Party ( given the Party System ). It is back to front focusing on a Party and not the voters
The ‘ Like Minded Voters ‘ need to choose a group from within their ranks to run the organization and to carry out the peoples wishes( to the best of their ability )
Clearly the results of the recent election indicated that the ‘ Party Leadership ‘ were offering their own agenda rather than following the wishes of sufficient voters and were thus out of synch with the majority !!
My humble advice to the ‘ Party Club Leaders ‘ is to suggest that you listen to the people and put the Party where it belongs as just a formal machine and no more than that !
It would be perfectly possible for Transport Workers – that is Bus and Taxi Drivers and Users etc to band together and then create a formal machine such as ‘ The Transport Party ‘.
The reality is however that whilst there might be sufficient like minded individuals to carry out such an idea , those individuals would probably be far too busy just earning a living to be able to devote enough time to the cause and consequently the opportunity to run the country tends to belong to those persons from similar Socio- Economic groups such as Doctors, Lawyers and such like who are fortunate enough to have relatively flexible working conditions coupled with incomes to match their professions and thus it would seem that the e
The misunderstanding which I believe that most Politicians ( and many others ) appear to suffer from is focusing on ‘ The Party ‘ rather than the people
If there are sufficient like minded voters who want to obtain positions of authority to run a country, then they need a formal organization to follow an agenda – hence the need for a Party ( given the Party System ). It is back to front focusing on a Party and not the voters
The ‘ Like Minded Voters ‘ need to choose a group from within their ranks to run the organization and to carry out the peoples wishes( to the best of their ability )
Clearly the results of the recent election indicated that the ‘ Party Leadership ‘ were offering their own agenda rather than following the wishes of sufficient voters and were thus out of synch with the majority !!
My humble advice to the ‘ Party Club Leaders ‘ is to suggest that you listen to the people and put the Party where it belongs as just a formal machine and no more than that !
It would be perfectly possible for Transport Workers – that is Bus and Taxi Drivers and Users etc to band together and then create a formal machine such as ‘ The Transport Party ‘.
The reality is however that whilst there might be sufficient like minded individuals to carry out such an idea , those individuals would probably be far too busy just earning a living to be able to devote enough time to the cause and consequently the opportunity to run the country tends to belong to those persons from similar Socio- Economic groups such as Doctors, Lawyers and such like who are fortunate enough to have relatively flexible working conditions coupled with incomes to match their professions and thus it would seem that the existing Parties can often appear to be much the same firm with a different name !!
Good riddance!