Prime Minister Gaston Browne led his ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) to victory in Wednesday’s general elections after the party had won nine of the 10 seats declared here early Thursday, according to the preliminary figures released by the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC).
Browne, who called the poll more than a year ahead of the constitutional deadline, easily won his St. John’s City West seat, as the ABLP was on track to complete a rout of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP).
He said he was pleased that the voters in his constituency had “invested in him” adding “I can assure them of bigger and better things to come”.
Browne spoke of a number of multi-million dollar projects earmarked for the area, which he said would become the “envy of other constituencies over the next five years’.
The UPP, which was seeking to regain the government it lost in 2014, suffered heavily with both its leader, Harold Lovell and the deputy, Wilmoth Daniel, a veteran politician failing to win their seats.
Lovell was seeking to regain the St. John’s City East seat, which he lost in 2014 to the incumbent Melford Nicholas of the ABLP.
Nicholas polled 769 votes as against 616 for Lovell and 16 votes for Bruce Goodwin of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
“This is a historic time for the people of Barbuda,” Walker said, noting that this is the first time that a candidate has won the seat by more than 100 seats.
In Barbuda, the ABLP lost the sole seat there Trevor Walker of the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM) easily defeated the incumbent Arthur Nibbs of the ABLP by 568 to 429 votes.
“This is a historic time for the people of Barbuda,” Walker said, noting that this is the first time that a candidate has won the seat by more than 100 seats.
“I am very happy tonight. I have made history in so many ways. I have won all the boxes and that has never happened and the people have said to the administration that they are fed up,” he added.
Among the victorious ABLP candidates are attorney general Steadroy Benjamin and Asot Michael, the former tourism minister who was sacked from the cabinet after he was arrested by Metropolitan Police in Britain last October.
Browne’s wife, Maria, a newcomer to politics, is on the verge of winning the St. John Rural seat that had been held previously by former prime minister and family member, Sir Lester Bird. She has so far polled 1,135 votes as against 567 for Trevor Young of the UPP and Vere Cornelius 109, with four more boxes to be counted.
In the 2014 general election, the ABLP had won 14 of the 17 seats at stake. The remaining three seats had gone to the UPP.
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Welp looks like it is all said and done and ABLP came out on top. Waiting on the singers like Barbara Maria Gomez and that jackass Obediah or whatever he name. Aru party FLAP FLAP FLAP FLAP
Please give them some time to recover, They are in mourning and their sorrow is deep.
So silly season has ended and at the end it is ABLP 15 UPP 1 BPM 1 life goes on and hope people learn to move on.
You would hope so. But I know they will be up in arms early not recognizing that democracy is the rule by majority. They will start undermining the government from day one
Congratulations PM Browne. You deserve it!
You Won!!
Congrarulations!!
Elections have consequences, A winner and a loser. .Now Go out and be the Leader of the Country. All for one and One for All.
Our eyes will be on you, nothing shall escape us .
Give it a rest please. The people have spoken and the UPP was wholeheartedly rejected again. Time to heal and move on.
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