Dear Editor,
St Lucia has a new government. The Opposition United Workers Party defeated the incumbent Labour Party 11 seats to six. The defeat was a blow to Kenny Anthony and he has announced that he will not serve as opposition leader nor will he continue to lead the Labour Party, a movement he led for 15 years.
The new Prime Minister, economist/ businessman Allen Chastanet was sworn in as the sixth Prime Minister by Governor General Dame Perette Louisy on Tuesday. He was very emotional. His 82-year-old father, his wife and his two children were present at the brief ceremony. Chastanet who served as Minister of Tourism in the previous UWP government vowed to unite the country.
Both Anthony and Chastanet were confident of victory. The turn-out at the polls was low; only 52.85 per cent of the eligible voters exercised their franchise. In his departing speech Anthony made a very impressive statement. He declared, “the will of the people was to give the United Workers Party an opportunity to pursue policies and programmes aimed at improving the standard of living and the quality of life for all St Lucians.”
Yours faithfully,
Oscar Ramjeet
