St. Lucia pundits see red
Publication: Weekend Nation
Date: Fri, May 23, 1997
Page: 20
Byline: Terry Ally
CASTRIES - Both political parties are anticipating victory but the Opposition St. Lucia Labour Party is predicting a landslide with a minimum of 12 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.
In the first such prediction since the SLP started campaigning months ago, campaign manager Costello Michel told the Weekend Nation that victory was almost certain.
"I have been involved in active politics for over 20 years and when we won in 1979, I knew that we would win.
"In the ensuing years, we merely hoped that we would win. This time around we know again that we will win."
Michel's predictions, on the eve of the poll, was based on work done on the ground in the 17 constituencies scattered around this island of 238 square miles and population of about 158 000.
It was the first time that a political party actually did house-to-house canvassing and set up constituency offices - a model brought from Barbados by the Barbadian public relations consultant, Hartley Henry, who is spearheading the public relations campaign for the Opposition SLP.
The party's survey identified 11 sure seats and one marginal which they hoped to have swung their way by midnight last night.
However, Michel, said he would be "disappointed" if they did not win 14 seats.
"Labour will win at least 12. The United Workers' Party (UWP) could win up to five but will win none by more than 100 votes," he said.
Michel did not identify the marginal seats but party sources, privy to the survey results, said that former SLP leader Julian Hunte, running as an independent in Gros Islet, Peter Josie who crossed the floor to the ruling UWP last year and again whom SLP leader Kenny Anthony was running in Vieux Fort South, and Prime Minister Vaughn Lewis were expected to lose their seats.
Lewis said his party, too, expected victory but he did not want to venture into calling the outcome.
"The UWP will the elections. That is all I am prepared to say: the UWP will win the elections."
There is widespread expectation that the SLP will sweep the polls in which 12 000 people are eligible to vote.
Support for Kenny Anthony, contesting elections for the first time and leading a very young and politically inexperienced team into the poll, is strong.
The SLP has been campaigning for change, saying that there was gross financial mismanagement under Lewis which saw economic declines in the last year and a plunge in foreign reserves from $91.5 million to $11.6 million last year and an unemployment rate between 17 and 29 per cent.
The UWP has been campaigning on its track record and developmental programmes over the 30 years it led the country.
It said the SLP's record was chaotic in the three years it held office and it was a novice in the affairs of government.