St. Kitts & Nevis – September 9, 2009 (WINN): The Movement for Change and prosperity swept into power in Montserrat overnight, capturing six of nine seats in the Legislative Council.
There are no constituencies in Montserrat as only about one third of the island is occupied. Every voter casts a ballot for the nine candidates of their choice. The nine elected members are:
Easton Joseph Farrell (MCAP), Charles Kirnon (MCAP), David Osborne (MCAP), Colin Riley (MCAP), Party Leader Rueben Meade (MCAP), Donaldson Romeo (Independent), Jermaine Wade (MCAP), Former Chief Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis (Independent), and Victor James (Independent).
“To the people of Montserrat let us put our hands together, let us get the work started,” Chief Minister Elect Rueben Meade said in an interview with ZJB Radio in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Let’s hope a lot of the rubbish which came up in the election campaign will now be put aside. Let us get into the healing process, and let us look at Montserrat to rescue and rebuild,” Mr. Meade said.
The Montserrat Labour Party and the Montserrat Reformation Party were left out in the cold on Election Day, and in what is being described this morning as an ‘upset,’ none of the five female candidates including veterans Annie Dyer-Howe and Idabelle Griffith-Meade were elected.
The snap election was called by former Chief Minister Dr. Lowell Lewis two years before they were constitutionally due. The country had two failed coalition Government’s since the 2006 elections, apparently leading to Dr. Lewis’ decision two months ago to dissolve Parliament.
Wednesday morning Montserratians woke up for the first time in a long time to a majority Government.
“Folks are saying if this doesn’t work, then nothing else is going to work,” said journalist Winston ‘Kafu’ Cabey Wednesday morning.
“Of course we still have plenty of problems…these folks…really have to hit the ground running because there’re quite a few things that they will have to deal with right away,” he told WINN FM.
Photo: Chief Minister Elect of Montserrat, Rueben Meade
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