ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Jamale Pringle has been elected leader of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), solidifying his hold on the Party he took over after Harold Lovell resigned following the Party’s defeat in the 2023 general election.
Pringle, the Opposition Leader since 2018, when he was the only successful candidate at the polls, defeated Richard Lewis by 237 to 173 votes at the end of the Party’s two-day 12th biennial conference on Sunday night.
Pringle told reporters that he was happy with the support received after his victory.
“The task ahead is one where I believe we would have proven that democracy is alive and well within the United Progressive Party, and going forward, we have to ensure that we continue to foster party unity.”
His victory came despite the fact that several opposition legislators had indicated in a letter leaked to the media last month that they would be backing Lewis for the position.
Pringle told reporters that the main priority now is to unseat the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) that won the last three general elections, including the January 2023 poll, by a nine to seven margin.
“I am confident that there is no fallout expected from this Convention, and we are looking to carry the fight to the Gaston Browne administration because we have a mandate. As the political leader, it is my task to ensure that the United Progressive Party is focused and in the best position to win the next general elections,” he said.
Party chairperson D. Gisele Isaac was re-elected at the Convention under the theme “Together in Unity: Forward to Victory,” with Is.saIsaac urged to work with the new executive to ensure victory at the next election.
“My concern is that after the Convention, what will we do with all the passion you have poured into the Party these last two years? Monday, April 22, is not when you exhale, relax, and hang blue suede shoes until 2027.
“Monday April 22 marks the day in which our new crusade begins, the crusade to complete the work that began last January, because now more than ever, we need to rescue, redeem, and restore Antigua and Barbuda,” Issac said, adding, ”now more than ever, we need to rally; in the four months of 2024, we have gone through an increase in the sales tax, sin tax, in Social Security deductions, and constant increases in the cost of food and services”.
Also addressing the Convention was former Trinidad and Tobago legislator Mickela Panday, the daughter of the late former prime minister Basdeo Panday, who urged the party “to unite in the fight for a better Antigua and Barbuda/
She added, “You must be fearless, driven, focused, and determined like your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, teachers, and leaders who cleared the path to claim your place on the political stage.”
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