ANTIGUA-PM names date for the by-election

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has named October 24 as the date for a by-election in the St Mary’s South constituency that the candidate of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP)’ had won in the January 18 general elections this year

Nomination day is October 9.
Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon, who stepped down to thwart efforts by the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) to challenge his victory at the general election, will again be the UPP’s candidate.

But Browne, speaking at an ABLP rally in Urlings Village, where he endorsed economist Dwayne George as the party’s candidate, said the by-election is about community advancement, urging voters not to “cut their nose to spoil their face” by choosing a candidate who couldn’t deliver.

George is a former UPP member who switched to the ABLP. Last week, he tendered his resignation from the Upper House to contest the poll.

Prime Minister Browne had led the ABLP to a nail-biting victory in the January 18 general elections, winning nine of the 17 seats for a third consecutive term in office.

Simon was among the seven members of the UPP that won seats in the elections. Still, his victory over the incumbent Samantha Marshall by 199 votes for the St Mary’s South seat had been challenged because he was a public servant when he was nominated.

“The petitioner and the Antigua Labour Party first sought to prevent me from being sworn in as a Member of Parliament by seeking an injunction from the Court. The Court refused this on February 14, 2023,” said Simon, who had written to the Speaker regarding his decision to resign.

“Since that date, I have been consumed by the litigation and the media controversy. This has created an unwarranted hindrance to the proper execution of my duties as the representative for the constituency of St Mary’s South,” Simon added.

“It is unfair to the people of St Mary’s South to have this uncertainty hanging over their heads. This situation needs to be resolved without further delay. Therefore, my decision today, June 7, 2023, is that I want this matter to be settled by the people, not the Court.

“The constituents of St Mary’s South elected me convincingly before, and I am confident that they will do so again in a by-election,” Simon added.