UPP Gears Up for Leadership Battle: Race Heats Up Between Pringle and Lewis

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After a year-long interim leadership, the United Progressive Party (UPP) is gearing up to elect a new leader within the next 90 days. During a council meeting on Sunday, led by Party leader Jamale Pringle, it was decided that the convention will be held during this period, allowing interested members to declare their executive position intentions. The vote is slated for April during the party’s 12th biannual convention.

Notable figures like Sean Bird, Kelvin Shugy Simon, Algernon Watts, and others have been mentioned, but sources suggest the primary contest is between Pringle and Richard Lewis. Lewis has expressed his intent to compete, but Pringle remains undeterred. Despite Lewis’s popularity with the public, insiders hint that he may not be the party’s favorite.

This leadership transition began after the January 2023 general election when Harold Lovell, who led the UPP since 2015, resigned on January 20, 2023, following the retirement of former prime minister Baldwin Spencer.

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36 COMMENTS

  1. I welcome this very important challenge/contest.

    The future of the country is definitely at stake if UPP get this wrong.

    Take your time UPP, and put the right candidate to take down and demolish the lies and falsehoods of the ABLP and Gaston Browne.

    REMEMBER UPP, YOUR COUNTRY 🇦🇬 NEEDS YOU 🫵🏾

    • I am beginning to believe that Brix is a female .. no man can lub man so and is always seeking relevance… So now I am going to address this caucus as shim … U love to much pepper pot .. Also lovell has entered the race.

  2. Its all love in UPP
    Who do the voters have the most confidence in to run the country ?
    thats the question
    If the UPp leadership is smart they should do some national polling to see which candidates challenging Pringle have the most national support
    Perhaps Pringle is the most popular and trusted nationally? let the data talk and not supporters of any candidate

  3. I am beginning to believe that Brix is a female .. no man can lub man so and is always seeking relevance… So now I am going to address this caucus as shim … U love to much pepper pot .. Also lovell has entered the race.

  4. Hopefully it will not end up in one loyal UPP leader leaving because democratic norms and principles of the party were not observed. The rumour around is that the higher ups in the party will not vote for Mr. Lewis because his wife is a Yardlie. Now what kind of thing is that when we are preaching One Caribbean. Hopefully noting tall go so.

    • @ Sharon Lycorish

      At least the UPP is having a convention/leadership race.

      Asot has been calling for one in the ABLP from since ‘thy kingdom come’, when will it be?

      Gaston is afraid of being booted from the PM role 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @ Sharon Lycorish
      You labour rites are adept at creating and spreading rumours. This is how you attempt to cause confusion. Why don’t you stay out of UPP business? You don’t mean them well anyway.
      Mr. Lewis is probably the most qualified at the moment to lead the part. Are you afraid that his Jamaican wife will attract a lot of Jamaicans to the UPP in the next election?

  5. Is it true that DICTATORSHIPS don’t allow such exercise? When will the ALP conduct their CONVENTION for LEADERSHIP?

  6. UPP is best fit to run this Country in the next General Election.ABLP is a total disappointment to me.I so sorry that I voted for them.

  7. Pringle for UPP leadership. RL has no experience in the position while Pringle comes with some experience. He also understands how to run biz. Pringle has also in the past shown some willingness {APUA water issue where he then changed his mind) to put politics aside and country first.

    • You are fooling no-one @ tenman.

      In the past you have been denigrating the Honourable Jamale Pringle at every opportunity.

      You know that people like Richard Lewis, Kelvin Shugy Simon or D. Gisele Isaacs would finally remove Gaston Browne from office.

      Even though Mr Pringle is a great candidate for high office, you are only endorsing him because you believe that Browne can easily deal with him.

      You not fooling anyone with your FAKE endorsement.

      GU WAY WID YA NONSENSE …

    • @ Tenman
      May your fingers freeze up when you write what you don’t believe. Are you afraid you and your party won’t have Pringle to criticize anymore? You fake.

  8. It’s a pity Trevor being a BPM ….cannot participate in the leadership race. Richard Lewis sadly since he decided to challenge Harold Lovell is still paying for his sins. Lets hope he can find forgiveness….
    Can you imagine Shugy…Serpent 🐍 or Pringle becoming leader and God forbid prime Minister.
    Richard Lewis all the best to you …

    • @ Dexter Pelle

      Can you imagine?

      If DUTTY MOUTH, UNCOUTH and na cum fram no way Gaston can be PM anyone else can be…..what qualifies him more than anyone on the UPP?

  9. Pringle is a pompus nobody that could lead the party no where.
    me wish Joann would swallow pride and go back to UPP.

  10. A word to the wise in the UPP having supported Shuggy in the bi-election against the PM Browne Administration. The UPP is appearing like an all boys club with most of the intelligent women in the party are on the outside looking in.
    I believe that Miss Shawn Nicholas is still the best candidate to contest St. Phillips North in the post Robin era. It is a mistake to rule her out due to her losses to Robin. With the right management in the Village of Newfield that’s redder than red, there’s are serious conversations which can be made for Ms. Nicholas unlike any other candidate. This is coming from the horses mouth. Good luck on any other UPP candidate winning the constituency without votes in Newfield.
    The UPP should also reach out to Ms.Jacqui Quinn who has the name recognition and could contest in any of the 17 Constituency. Yes UPP Miss Nicholas and Miss Quinn would provide the depth and diversity the UPP is currently lacking. I’d love to see the party defeat the Gaston Browne Administration. Get those two ladies in to provide the depth and diversity you’re currently lacking.

    • Child of God, Jesus gives people wisdom to fulfil his tenures. What do you propose for him to come back to earth to run Antigua? Stop being a religious fanatic.

  11. Dear Eddie, stop trying to be relevant in the UPP Party. You were campaign manager for 3 elections and you lost all three. Don’t know why you trying to lose the next one.

    Now you are trying to make yourself important by standing up in the party and trying to pull Richard Lewis down. This is not your show. Nobody vote for you, so stop trying to cause havoc in the party and then accuse other people of trying to tear down the party.

    You made it clear that you only love Baldwin Spencer and none of the other UPP people. You leave the party a soon as you don’t get your way and come back when you feel like. Now that things look good you in front of mike tearing down the brother. It won’t work this time. You and the fake freedom fighter who can’t win a seat trying to put in your own leader.

    Things different now, Eddie. Baldwin not there to spoil you anymore.

  12. The UPP needs female candidates, But not those two.
    One is phony and overexposed and the other one is a lazy general secretary and not candidate material.
    I like her as a person but she did not do even a decent job campaigning in the elections she lost. She cannot say she did not get a fair chance. She seems to want others to do the work for her.

  13. There is no worthy! None , Bring back Jacki Quinn Leandro she is the only one with the brains to be the leader inspite of her fooling around on the radio she is good with her politics she may not want to but that Gal is the best for the leader ship back in the day she was always interesting to hear her debates the team was a better team back then the hon Baldwin Spencer demonstrated the capacity as a smart and tactful leader and his Ministers followed loyalty this team has miles to catch up .

  14. I don’t think there will be fuel to burn fire, Mr Pringle in that scenario should express gratitude he was interim leader as a new political entrant and now out for a new and fresh idea to rekindle the fight to restore antigua, I see it as Bowen, lewis ,pearl.

  15. Absolutely no one in the current set up of UPP is fit to be leader
    Should anyone in the current set up emerge as leader UPP will continue to lose successive future elections.
    No one in the current set up has ever made any impact on the ALP ill advised decisions.
    They did not make a dent in the following
    The African smuggling ring.
    The lack of regular water supply.
    The hillium laced ballooning national debt.
    Horrific health care challenges.
    Brazen crime increase.
    The Barbuda land theft.

  16. Honorable Baldwin Spencer did not have a loyal team. Let’s not kid ourselves.
    The ABLP and Lester Bird contested the AVLP losses in several Constituencies for over a year, which functioned to degrade Spencers ability to govern in many ways.
    During that time, PM Spencer had to make concessions to Wilmouth Daniels, Brother B and Trevor Walker ; all of whom were playing footsie through the Car Dealer (King Maker) on Old Parham Road; in order to either get the ministry they wanted, to run or be given a free hand to run their Ministry based on the deals they had made.
    These 3 characters were quietly threatening to jump ship. This was one of the main reasons why Hon. Baldwin Spencer decided to leave politics.
    The King Makers got their deals, and today Antiguans and Barbudans are paying dearly and not just for cars.

    Everyone was expecting Harold Lovell would be the heir apparent. Lovell expressed a disinterest in being the UPP Party leader, which led to Joan Massiah throwing her hat in the ring.
    Lo and behold Lovell was pressured by the UPP Party Leadership and recieved Hon Baldwin Spencer support to be the reluctant party leader candidate.
    The fix was in, and after winning; the mild manured Harold Lovell who personally and demeanor is that of an Assistant Law Professor just could not get the confidence of the electorate as PM material.

    Today The institutions are entrenched; the public is decidedly confused, and the ruling party is having a ball.

    The UPP only hope is for a charismatic leader, who knows public policy and possesses excellent management skills. One who is a proven leader with integrity.
    A leader with more than a narrative but one with depth, substance and the knowledge to challenge the system; starting with the institutions that maintain the status quo.

  17. @ Bush man

    Dr. Jacki Quinn Leandro lacks what it takes to be The UPP leader who can take on and beat the ABLP and Gaston Browne.
    She possesses a PhD. Good! She is articulate and has a platform . Great! Those attitudes means little in today’s political environment.
    Ms. Quinn-Leandro is caught up in an old political thinking that does not work any in Antigua and Barbudas politics any longer.
    She is still asking young poets if they are inspired by Keats. She is a person who is stuck in the Colonial Era with a mindset that will not be able to inspire a young electorate whose favorite poet is more likely to be Angelou and Amanda Gorman.
    How did a Blackman with Kenyan name win over white millennials in spite of the odds?
    He inspired hope for a change.

    I don’t have a preference at this point; but few of the others mentioned can lead The UPP to victory.

  18. @ Child of GOD

    It is blasphemy to be calling yourself a child of God, when you have nothing to say to the religious Ministers who go to Cabinet Meeting and bless their assembly who sole purpose to to rip-off The Antigua and Barbuda people while keeping them in a subservient state.

  19. Pringle is only in the leadership conversation because it is his second term and he was the sole UPP MP in his first term. In terms of leadership attributes, he has none. He has no charisma, no ability to speak well publicly. It would be a huge mistake to make him leader as many would not vote for UPP simply because they cannot see him as PM. Richard Lewis is a better choice.

  20. @ Melchesidec

    I tend to agree with you about none of UPP MPs making a case against Gaston Browne and the ABLP ill advised actions and policies.

    There is still time; but time is running out.
    The Global Bank issues, and what the Prime Minister has to say. The failure of the Regulators are reminiscent of the Le Roy King and Allen Stanford scandals.
    UPP is just like Ok!! Interesting, lets move on.

    • I am not convinced Gaston Browne and the Labour Party won the last election. It is highly likely Harold Lovell won his seat when the official result was that he lost by six votes. The Labour Party leader admitted to committing fraud and no investigation. How many Labour Party voters were transferred to the constituency?
      The need for clinging to power can deny the will of the people and lead to corruption and unrest. Think of Haiti.

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