Anthony ready for elections
Publication: Sunday Sun
Date: Sun, May 18, 1997
Page: 22A
Byline: Terry Ally
The candidacy of the man widely expected to become St. Lucia's fourth prime minister will be launched this afternoon.
Hundreds of St. Lucians are already camping out in the island's second town, Vieux Fort, to participate in the formal launching of Dr. Kenny Anthony, leader of the Opposition St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP), just after lunch when organisers are expecting a crowd in excess of 20 000 people.
People are calling it the "mother of all launchings".
Unlike Barbados when all the candidates are introduced at one mass meeting, in St. Lucia, each candidate is introduced individually.
Scientific polls have been conducted by the Barbados-based Systems Caribbean Limited and Selwyn Ryan of Trinidad and Tobago but the political parties are keeping the results close to their chest.
In the absence of the polls, political observers say the mood of the St. Lucian people is for change.
If the attendance at political meetings is any gauge at all, the SLP has been drawing the largest crowds and its supporters openly displaying the characteristic red star symbol on bumper stickers, posters and other paraphernalia.
The "torch" emblem of the ruling United Workers' (PWP) Party is not as widely seen.
"One of the key issues is unemployment and there are an additional 15 000 voters registered whom we believe are the young people registering to vote out the ruling party because they are frustrated at being unable to find work," an observer said.
During campaigning, the SLP has been accusing the UWP of mismanaging the economy and charging that it is not equipped to deal with emerging problems.
The number of registered voters increased 15 per cent in the last five years, from 97 458 in 1992 to 112 000 this year.
The elections, the fifth since independence in 1979, is a straight fight against the UWP of Prime Minister Vaughn Lewis and Anthony's SLP. They each have 17 candidates.
There are seven Independents.