Saint Kitts & Nevis - Politics Post-Independence
Politics in St. Kitts and Nevis in the 1980s was marked by a vituperative relationship between the PAM and its opposition, the Labour Party. This state of affairs derived from a history of bitter contention between the two St. Kitts-based parties and from Labour's apparent inability to adjust to the role of opposition after more than thirty years in power.
Following independence in 1983, the National Assembly was expanded to 11 seats. In the 1984 elections the PAM increased its majority with six seats, while the NRP won all three seats on Nevis. Labour's objections did not seem to be widely shared by the electorate. Simmonds, now the prime minister, called early elections in June 1984. In the expanded parliament, the PAM augmented its majority by capturing six seats to Labour's two. It also scored a symbolic victory by defeating Moore in his constituency and denying him the post and platform of leader of the opposition. The NRP captured all three seats in Nevis, yielding the coalition government a commanding nine to two advantage in Parliament and an apparent mandate to pursue its policies of development through diversification and an enhanced private sector.
The 21 March 1989 general elections were marked by the emergence of the Concerned Citizen's Movement (CCM), which won one of the three Nevis seats and thus joined the three existing political groups – the ruling People's Action Movement (PAM), the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and the socialist Labour Party (Workers' League) – in National Assembly representation. The PAM retained its six seats and the coalition (PAM/NRP) Government thus continued in office with only minor changes. The Prime Minister since independence in 1983 was Kennedy Simmonds.
Although the 1989 elections saw no changes in the political make-up on St. Kitts, a new Nevisian party, the Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM), formed in 1987 and took one out of the three Nevisian seats. In the 1993 elections, the SKNLP and the PAM each won four seats on St. Kitts, with the CCM winning two seats on Nevis against a single seat for the NRP.
Before the 29 November 1993 elections, Prime Minister Kennedy Simmonds' People's Action Movement (PAM) held a majority of seats, but the dismissal of the Deputy Prime Minister following charges of corruption and growing support for the opposition St. Kitts Labour Party created a hotly contested race for political leadership. The PAM won only four of eight seats at stake in St. Kitts and came in second in the popular vote. The St. Kitts Labour Party, led by Dr. Denzil Douglas, won the remaining four seats and also polled a majority of the popular votes. The Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) won two of the three Nevis seats; the Nevis Reformation Party won the remaining one.
Prime Minister Simmonds formed a coalition with the Nevis Reformation Party to retain control of the Government. However, since that coalition represented less than half of the total seats in parliament, it was vulnerable to a vote of no confidence by the combined opposition parties.
The island of Nevis has considerable self-government and its own legislature. In 1992 Vance Amory and the CCM won control of the Nevis Assembly by defeating the Nevis Reformation Party, which was closely allied with the PAM. The two national parliament seats won by the CCM in the November 29 election gave Amory the options of forming a government with either St. Kitts party or joining the Labour Party to support a successful no-confidence vote.
Kittitian parties have rarely campaigned on Nevis nor have they involved themselves in the local affairs of the island. On the other hand, the Nevisian vote can profoundly affect the complexion of the National Assembly. In the absence of a majority party, the Nevisian party that wins the most Federal seats has the chance to form a ruling coalition with either one of the leading Kittitian parties. In 1993, this situation led to a hung parliament in which the CCM held the balance of power (a coalition with either Kittitian party would have formed a majority) but chose to stay neutral Nevis has repeatedly explored the possibility of secession from the Federation.
In the June 1995 elections, Dr. Douglas' St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party won seven of eight seats at stake in St. Kitts with 60 percent of the popular vote, and Douglas became Prime Minister. The People's Action Movement (PAM), the former ruling party, took only one seat, but received 40 percent of the vote. The Concerned Citizens Movement won two of the three Nevis seats; the Nevis Reformation Party won the remaining one. The island of Nevis has considerable self-government and its own legislature.
In 1996, Vance Amory, then CCM leader and Nevis Premier, initiated a constitutional process for secession. In accordance with its rights under the Constitution, the Nevis Island Assembly in 1996 initiated steps towards secession from the Federation, the most recent being a referendum in August 1998. However, the referendum failed to secure the two-thirds majority required for secession. The motion was defeated in a 1998 referendum. Though 62% of Nevisians voted for secession from the federation, the Constitution (Section 113) stipulates that secession requires a two-thirds majority vote. Prior to the referendum, a Caricom-initiated Constitutional Review Commission submitted a report that recommended an alternative political structure--a presidential system with separate elected legislatures for Saint Kitts and for Nevis. These recommendations are under review by both islands. All parties involved adhered to constitutional procedures, and no acts of violence were reported in connection with the secession question.
Although the Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of political opinion or affiliation, the opposition PAM alleges widespread employment discrimination by the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party against public sector employment of persons perceived to be opposition supporters. PAM alleges that the ruling party dismissed or demoted many PAM supporters from their jobs in order to replace them with its own supporters. The Government acknowledged that it had withheld pension benefits from opposition members of Parliament voted out of office and entitled to such benefits. However, all pension benefits have since been paid with the exception of those of the former Minister of Women's Affairs.
In the March 2000 elections, Douglas' St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party won all eight seats on St. Kitts; the People's Action Movement (PAM) lost the one seat it had held. The Concerned Citizens Movement won two of the three Nevis seats; the Nevis Reform Party won the remaining one. The island of Nevis has considerable self-government, with its own premier and legislature.
In the October 2004 general elections, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas's SKNLP was returned to office after winning 7 of 8 Saint Kitts-assigned seats in the 11-seat National Assembly. The PAM party won one seat after nearly five years without representation. Nevis Premier Vance Armory's Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) party won two of the three assembly seats assigned to Nevis. The Commonwealth observer team categorized the electoral rules as "followed but flawed," and there were reports of vote fraud, intimidation, and foreign influence. During and after the election, government information services touted the SKNLP and criticized the opposition.
Shortly before the election, the government deported Derek Ramsamooj, a Trinidadian who served as a political consultant to the opposition party. The government charged that Ramsamooj was a threat to the country's national security and suggested that he had been responsible for opposition efforts to intimidate voters and foment instability. In June Ramsamooj returned from Trinidad only to be removed from the country again.
A multiparty political system existed, in which political parties were free to conduct their activities; however, the PAM continued to allege that the ruling party restricted access to the media. The PAM also alleged widespread employment discrimination by the SKNLP against public sector employment of persons perceived to be PAM supporters.
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