REAL NEWS: As the United Progressive Party predicted on By-Election Day in St. Mary’s South, its candidate, Kelvin “Shugy” Simon, was re-elected to the House of Representatives before midnight on Tuesday, October 24.
Formal confirmation came in a declaration from the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission on Tuesday night; but hundreds of residents had already converged on the counting house –the Urlings Primary School – and witnessed history in the making:
This by-election win – his second in one year – puts Simon in the history books as the first-ever political candidate to achieve this feat.
After a campaign that lasted almost the full 120 days allowed by the Constitution, Simon went into this contest confident that the voters who sent him to Parliament on January 28 would do it again.
When he emerged from Division A, Bolans – the Antigua Labour Party’s stronghold in St. Mary’s South – with a 38-vote lead, by- election watchers told REAL News they began to exhale.
Simon went on to capture the other two Divisions, significantly widening the gap between him and Labour Party candidate Dwayne
George, in Division C, Johnsons Point.
At the end of the night, the UPP standard-bearer had amassed 1,065 votes against his opponent’s 891.
However, both Simon and pundits had observed that the race had not been between Simon and George, but Simon and Prime Minister
Gaston Browne and his resources.
“For all the money that Labour Party spent on this campaign – including the inducements – they got a very small return on their Investments,” a woman quipped at the end of the count.
She was referring to the fact that the previous Labour Party MP and former candidate, Samantha Marshall, had captured 862 votes in the January 18 General Election, while George increased this share only
by 29.
Meanwhile, Simon, in an interview after the count, said he felt “vindicated” by his election victory since Prime Minister Browne had called his first win a fluke.
The St. Mary’ South MP had resigned from the Lower House on June
7, triggering the by-election in his constituency.
After legal challenges about the legitimacy of his election – since he had not resigned his civil-service position before Nomination Day – Simon elected to resign and go back to the people for their decision at the polls.
He will be sworn in as the parliamentary representative for St. Mary’s South at the next sitting of Parliament.
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Congratulations on your win and for the courage to go back to the people for a fresh mandate. We love you Shugy!
Gaston whose the fluke now
You’re a disgraceful disrespectful arrogant PM and it will be your continued downfall
You ddnt vet properly
You disregard and dismiss ur cabinet on putting Dwayne on the ALP ticket it’s NOT that they ddnt want Samantha they just ddnt want LABOR!!!!
Your dismissive behavior is costing the party relevance & credibility
Leave now while you still have some pride left
No, mek Gaston stay. He’s a LIABILITY to the ABLP and an ASSET to UPP’s eventual governance.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; Gaston Browne’s stubbornness will be his inevitable fall from grace – it’s in the stars!
You can see it @ IMMEDIATELY, the country knows it, and even the members of his cabinet are now waking up to his obstinacy and bull headedness.
MEK HIM STAY DEY …
Congratulations to Shuggy. The people have told self-enrichment Gaston Browne where to go. All the bribery he tried with funds we don’t know where they came from. And don’t forget the constituency padding Gaston Browne did again. Both ended up in failed attempts and $25,000 lighter from whatever funds he had.
Hopefully Shuggy will do a stellar job now Gaston Browne have no say about his legitimacy.
Another thing Shuggy and the UPP party needs to do is investigate where Dwayne George acquired $25,000 to “donate” bribe the people of SMS. This illegal and blatant bribery must stop. This practice that’s been done ever since I can remember must stop.
Good to see the people of SMS didn’t want another self-enrichment politician representing his personal bank account, I mean the constituents.
Congratulations is in order but Dwayne was the victor in that political fight. As a reject from UPP & a person who the Labourites had mixed feelings about, he showed to the masses that he is a warrior & he has what it takes to fight someone like Shugy who had his charisma & physical looks as his main assets going for him from the time of get go for the by-election.
Seems like you are clutching at straws🥢@ Bluddy Bloke.
NICE TRY THOUGH, RESPECT 🤜🏽🤛🏽
I’m glad the author of this article got the spelling right. It’s ‘by-election’ not ‘bi-election’ as stated in previous articles.
A by-election is a voting event. A bi-election is some sort of deviant bedroom practice.
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