ANTIGUA-Opposition leader denies resigning.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The leader of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), Jamale Pringle, has dismissed reports that he has submitted his resignation, saying the rumour is intended to destabilize the Party.

“I wish to address, directly and transparently, the reports that have circulated in recent days suggesting that I intend to step down as Political Leader of the United Progressive Party. I say to every UPP member, every supporter, and every citizen of Antigua and Barbuda who has asked: I am not resigning,” Pringle said in a statement.

Pringle, who was elected leader of the Party on April 21, 2024, following the resignation of Harold Lovell on January 20, 2023, said that the reports of his resignation “originate from a source managed by the Prime Minister, whose intent is not to inform the public but to destabilise this Party and distract from the work before us.

“I remain your Political Leader. I remain committed to holding the Gaston Browne Administration Government accountable. And I remain committed to building this Party into an organization worthy of leading this Nation,” he said.

He said he is also aware that Lovell, who made a return to active politics recently, “also stands committed to this cause…and to Antigua and Barbuda, and, together, our team invites and encourages all right-thinking persons to stand with us, today and in the imminent General Election, to rescue our country”.

Last weekend, Prime Minister Browne announced that general elections would be held within 90 days and urged supporters of the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) to get ready for the early poll.

“I have asked all of the Labour Party candidates who will contest the next general elections to utilise the next few weeks to go door-to-door and to get the people out to do the re-registration so that they can have their cards in time for the upcoming general election,” Browne said on his weekly radio programme.

Browne, who became the first Antigua and Barbuda prime minister to be elected for three consecutive terms, added, “I would say within 90 days, and the earlier you go to get your card, the better.

“So I’m now announcing that general elections will take place within 90 days, and I’m asking my colleagues, in particular, the candidates of the Labour Party, to go out on the road for the next three weeks in particular to make sure that we get our supporters registered,” he added.

In the last general election held on January 18, 2023, the ABLP won 9 of the 17 seats, the UPP won 6, and the Barbuda People’s Movement won 1. An independent candidate won the remaining seat.

But the UPP increased its majority following the murder of opposition legislator, Asot Michael, with its candidate Rawdon Turner winning the by-election, followed by UPP legislator, Anthony Smith, joining the ABLP and becoming the Minister of Agriculture.

Meanwhile, Pringle has defended the Partyparty’s decision to contest last week the St. Philip North seat, which had been held for the past 50 years by Sir Robin Yearwood, who had earlier this year announced his retirement from active politics.

The ALP’s Randy Baltimore easily defeated the UPP’s Alex Browne, amassing 924 votes to Browne’s 406, representing approximately 69.5 per cent of the votes cast, compared with 30.5 per cent for Browne.

Pringle said that the narrative being constructed around that by-election is “dishonest” and that the UPP “entered that contest to demonstrate support for our candidate, Brother Alex Browne, and to signal our commitment to those who have expressed the desire for change. That is not failure; that is the methodical work of a party serious about growth.

“The UPP has never held that constituency in 50 years. So, to use the result of the by-election as a crowbar to dislodge elected Party leadership is not merely disingenuous. It is an insult to the public’s intelligence and a fundamental misreading of what that contest was designed to achieve. It disrespects not only the efforts of every Political Leader since 1993, but every member who believes this Party must be governed by principle.

“To those within our ranks who have concerns about our direction, our strategy, our pace of renewal, my door remains open. Genuine disagreement, openly expressed, is healthy in any democratic organization. I welcome that conversation.”

Pringle said that the people of Antigua and Barbuda “deserve a credible, united, and focused Opposition.

“Building that is exactly what we intend to do. The Antigua Labour Party has earned no blank cheque, and the citizens of this country deserve much more than they are now receiving. Therefore, the work of this Party continues. And I continue with it,” Pringle added.