Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party

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Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
Leader Terrance Drew
Chairperson Earl Asim Martin
Founded25 January 1932
HeadquartersMasses House, Church Street, Basseterre
Ideology Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
National Assembly
6 / 11
Website
www.sknlabourparty.com

The Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), also known simply as Labour, is a centre-left political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is currently in government in the country after winning six of the eleven seats in the 2022 general election. It is the oldest active political party in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Contents

History

The party was founded in 1932 and was initially known as the St Kitts Workers' League. [1] It put forward two candidates in the 1937 elections, both of which were elected. It subsequently won all the elected seats in 1940, 1943 and 1946. [2]

From 1946 until 1978, the party was led by Robert Bradshaw. It saw most of its success on Saint Kitts, as voters on Nevis and Anguilla tended to elect independents and local parties. [3] It was the only party to contest the 1952 elections and won all eight seats. [4] They retained power in the 1957 despite losing three seats to independents. The party was also victorious in 1961 and were renamed the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Labour Party in 1966. [5] They went on to win the 1966, 1971 and 1975 elections, winning seven seats on each occasion.

When Anguilla seceded in 1980, the party adopted its current name. [6] In the elections that year, the party was reduced to four seats, and although it was the largest faction in the National Assembly, the opposition People's Action Movement was able to form a coalition government. The Labour Party was reduced to two seats in the 1984 elections and remained with only two MPs after the 1989 elections. Although it received the most votes in the 1993 elections and won the same number of seats as the PAM, the PAM remained in power. However, early elections were called in 1995, in which the Labour Party won a majority of seats. They increased their majority in the 2000 elections and retained power in elections in 2004 and 2010.

After Labour suffered defeats in 2015 and 2020, Denzil Douglas decided to step down as party leader in 2021. Party chairman Terrance Drew was elected as his successor in a national convention. [7] [8] [9] Earl Asim Martin became the new party chairman. [10]

Leadership

Election results

Election yearParty leader# of
votes		 % of
vote		# of
overall seats won		+/–Govt?
1937 Thomas Manchester—
2 / 5
Increase2.svg2Opposition
1940 —
3 / 5
Increase2.svg1Majority
1943 Joseph Matthew Sebastian —
3 / 5
Steady2.svgMajority
1946 Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw [12] —
3 / 5
Steady2.svgMajority
1952 11,01684.7 (#1)
8 / 8
Increase2.svg5Majority
1957 5,27053.6 (#1)
5 / 8
Decrease2.svg3Majority
1961 7,80864.5 (#1)
7 / 10
Increase2.svg2Majority
1966 6,24944.3 (#1)
7 / 10
Steady2.svgMajority
1971 7,41650.8 (#1)
7 / 10
Steady2.svgMajority
1975 7,36360.2 (#1)
7 / 10
Steady2.svgMajority
1980 Lee Moore [12] 7,35555.0 (#1)
4 / 9
Decrease2.svg3Official Opposition
1984 7,46341.3 (#2)
2 / 11
Decrease2.svg2Official Opposition
1989 6,64237.3 (#2)
2 / 11
Steady2.svgOfficial Opposition
1993 Denzil Douglas [12] 8,40543.8 (#1)
4 / 11
Increase2.svg2Official Opposition
1995 10,66249.2 (#1)
7 / 11
Increase2.svg3Majority
2000 11,76253.6 (#1)
8 / 11
Increase2.svg1Majority
2004 11,42650.6 (#1)
7 / 11
Decrease2.svg1Majority
2010 12,22747.0 (#1)
6 / 11
Decrease2.svg1Coalition with NRP
2015 11,89739.3 (#1)
3 / 11
Decrease2.svg3Official Opposition
2020 10,35537.1 (#1)
2 / 11
Decrease2.svg1Official Opposition
2022 Terrance Drew 13,43845.8 (#1)
6 / 11
Increase2.svg4Majority

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References

  1. ↑ Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies, Greenwood Publishing Group, p131
  2. ↑ Alexander & Parker, p136
  3. ↑ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p570 ISBN   978-0-19-928357-6
  4. ↑ Nohlen, pp576-578
  5. ↑ Alexander & Parker, pp135–136
  6. ↑ Nohlen, p569
  7. ↑ "Dr. Douglas not seeking SKNLP leadership nomination". www.sknvibes.com. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "SKNLP Leaders: Party not divided ahead of elections". www.sknvibes.com. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Drew takes over SKNLP leadership". www.sknvibes.com. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Browne, Kevon (30 November 2021). "SKNLP's New Executive Committee Announced after recent Conference". WINNFM 98.9. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Gunson, Phil; Chamberlain, Greg; Thompson, Andrew (22 December 2015). The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Central America and the Caribbean. Routledge. ISBN   9781317270546.
  12. 1 2 3 Gunson, Phil; Chamberlain, Greg; Thompson, Andrew (22 December 2015). The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Central America and the Caribbean. Routledge. ISBN   9781317270546.
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