Candidates count Votes! Parties count Seats!
It is not enough that the majority of people want the UWP out of government. More is required. There is no national ballot in Saint Lucia.
No Majority Rule
It is not enough that the majority of people want the UWP out of government. More is required. There is no national ballot in Saint Lucia. Votes are counted on a constituency by constituency basis. This means that a political party can win a popular vote as the NDP did in St. Vincent and the Grenadines but not form the government.
Fortunately in post-independence St. Lucia the winning party has always gotten the popular vote. The disparity is potentially reflected at parliament where one party can have more or less power than its share of the vote. This happened in 1997 when the SLP won 16 out of 17 seats but only 61.37% of the votes.
Is 9 the Magic Number
9 constituencies are a bare majority and offer little security. In 1987 when the UWP won 9 seats at two general elections in less than one month, our now Governor General Neville Cenac who represented Laborie for the SLP crossed the parliamentary floor to the UWP side. Laborie has beaten the United Workers Party with many stripes since then but for Compton it meant salvation in government.
The Magic Number is 11
The next Prime Minister needs at least eleven constituencies to be effective in government. He will have to select a deputy-speaker for parliament who is not a member of cabinet. It will be no easy task in this era of hungry politicians who all want milk and honey before they go home.
With eleven constituencies in the bag and the death or resignation of a parliamentary representative within the ruling party’s camp, a by-election in one constituency with an unfavourable result should not sink the government.
The SLP under Philip Pierre needs a strong presence in parliament for the new Prime Minister to realize his vision for this country. The same applies to Chastanet but we have had over five years to see the extent of his myopia and to understand who pulls the strings. For Labour, if the dog is never to be wagged by the tail, Pierre as Prime Minister must be a powerhouse of a leader, calling the shots.
An Empowered Civil Society
The people need both strong government and strong opposition. We must empower ourselves to force upon the politicians the interests of the state and its citizens. Power to the people!
The Role of the Press
In coming weeks ONE CARIBBEAN TODAY will dedicate considerable efforts to measuring the political pulse. We will make some unscientific predictions. With limited resources we will endeavor to poll voters but we remind our readers that pegs are always moving in the political game. Campaign teams must be vigilant and never sleep.
