Saint Vincent - Politics
Although the political system was among the most stable of Britain's former colonies, the country has perhaps the most colorful history of political parties in the Eastern Caribbean region. These parties, many of which had not yet been established prior to the nation's independence in 1979, enhanced the dynamic democratic traditions that, with very few exceptions, remained vibrant in St. Vincent and the Grenadines through the late 1980s. The leadership of the various parties was extremely erratic; founders of one party frequently emerged as leaders of another party only a few years later.
By the late 1980s, the most successful player of this game of political musical chairs was the man who became prime minister in 1984, James Mitchell. Mitchell initially won the Grenadines' parliamentary seat in 1966 as a member of the St. Vincent Labour Party (SVLP), which then became his principal opposition from 1984 through late 1987. He was reelected to Parliament in the 1972 elections despite personality differences that had led him to resign from the SVLP and run as an independent.
Because Mitchell was able to form a coalition government with the People's Political Party (PPP), he served as premier, the preindependence equivalent of prime minister, until his government fell two years later. In the subsequent elections, Mitchell managed to retain his seat in the House of Assembly as an independent and continued as a member of Parliament through 1979. In a 1980 by-election, Mitchell was returned to the Grenadines seat in the House of Assembly as the leader of the five-year-old NDP, with which he continued to be affiliated through late 1987.
The first political party to gather mass support was the People's Political Party (PPP). Founded in 1952 by Ebenezer Joshua, the party drew much of its large following from among trade union members. At the forefront of national policy making prior to independence, the pro-Western PPP won a majority of parliamentary seats in 1957, 1961, and 1966. The PPP had its roots in the labor movement and was in the forefront of national policy prior to independence, winning elections from 1957 through 1966. The party began to lose its following soon afterward with the emergence of a more conservative middle class. The party suffered a total defeat in the 1979 elections, and Joshua relinquished leadership of the PPP in 1980. Although the party disbanded in late 1984, it regrouped in 1987 under a new name, the People's National Movement.
The St. Vincent Labour Party (SVLP), under the leadership of R. Milton Cato, dominated the country's political scene for almost two decades prior to 1984. Founded in 1955, the party owed much of its support to the black middle class. With a conservative law-and-order and mixed economy message, and a pro-Western foreign policy, the SVLP dominated politics from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s. Following victories in the 1967 and 1974 elections, the SVLP led the island to independence, winning the first post-independence election in 1979. That triumph was attributed to an economy that had been strengthened under Cato's previous governments and his success in guiding the country to independence.
Expecting an easy sweep for the SVLP at the polls because of the splintered opposition, Cato called general elections in 1984 months before they were constitutionally required. The results were surprising: with a record 89% voter turnout, James F. Mitchell's New Democratic Party (NDP) won nine seats in the House of Assembly. The SVLP was hindered by a number of issues in the 1984 election campaign. First, there was concern that Cato's advanced age and ill health would detract from his ability to govern effectively. The Cato government was also accused of gross mismanagement of government funds, resulting in a national deficit that could only be offset by a tax increase. Cato's attorney general had also lost popularity because he had refused to resign after involvement in a disputed land deal. Other problems included controversy surrounding 1981 legislation dealing with the prevention of subversion and strikes and resistance against the paramilitary Special Service Unit (SSU) set up by Cato in response to the 1983 events in Grenada. Cato retired from the party leadership soon after his election defeat.
The pro-Western NDP, founded by Mitchell in 1975, prevailed over the SVLP in the 1984 elections by a margin of 51 percent to 41 percent. As of 1987, the NDP's popularity rating remained high because of the belief that the prime minister was governing well with the limited resources at his disposal. Priorities on the NDP's agenda included the continued search for financial and technical assistance for the construction of an international airport and support for efforts to implement a nationwide family planning program. Mitchell, who was born on Bequia, the largest of the Grenadine Islands, also tried to upgrade services in the Grenadines to correct allegations that those islands traditionally were ignored by politicians once an election victory was assured.
Soon after the election, Mitchell's government succeeded in reducing the country's deficit and enforcing land reform without antagonizing landed Vincentians. Although many of his goals had not yet been met, Mitchell was given a vote of confidence during a 1987 by-election that followed the death of an NDP parliamentarian.
Another contender in the postindependence elections was a socialist coalition, the United People's Movement (UPM), formed in 1979 by Ralph Gonsalves. The UPM was an alliance of the left-wing Youlou United Liberation Movement, founded by Gonsalves in 1974; the leftist People's Democratic Movement (PDM), founded by Parnel Campbell; and Arwee, a rural party. By the time of the 1984 elections, the UPM's political prestige had been marred by numerous defections, including the PDM's departure in 1980 and Gonsalves's exit in 1982 to found a more moderate socialist political party, the Movement for National Unity. The UPM's aspirations to national leadership were also damaged by Vincentian revulsion to the violence that had consumed leftist forces in neighboring Grenada in 1983.
Other active political parties in the late 1980s included the centrist Progressive Democratic Party, founded in 1981; the moderate Working People's Party, founded prior to the 1980 by-election; and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Movement, founded as a left-of-center response to the 1983 Grenada crisis.
Bolstered by a resurgent economy in the mid-1980s, Mitchell led his party to an unprecedented sweep of all 15 House of Assembly seats in the 1989 elections. The opposition emerged from the election weakened and fragmented.
Prime Minister James F. Mitchell and his New Democratic Party (NDP) returned to power for an unprecedented third term in free and fair elections held in February 1994. During the elections in 1994, the two opposition parties united to challenge the ruling New Democratic Party. The effort was successful to the extent that the "Unity" coalition won 3 of 15 parliamentary seats -- the NDP held all 15 prior to the election. The opposition continued to charge that the ruling party had not complied with what the opposition asserts is a constitutional obligation to answer questions it puts forth. In August 1995 a long-dormant party, the People's Party (PP), was reactivated in response to alleged financial misconduct by the Attorney General. The PP, however, held no seats in Parliament.
In 1998, Prime Minister Mitchell and the NDP were returned to power for an unprecedented fourth term but with only a slim margin of 8 seats to 7 seats for the Unity Labour Party (ULP). The NDP was able to accomplish a return to power while receiving a lesser share of the popular vote, approximately 45% to the ULP's 55%.
In March 2001, the ULP, led by Ralph Gonsalves, assumed power after winning 12 of the 15 seats in Parliament. In the December 2005 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Gonsalves and the ULP retained their 12-3 majority over the NDP. In the December 2010 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Gonsalves and the ULP retained a slight majority, winning 8 of the 15 seats. The main opposition party, the NDP, won the remaining 7 seats.
The ruling ULP was returned to office in December 2005 elections that international observers declared to be generally free and fair. The opposition NDP, however, claimed there were electoral irregularities that could have affected the outcome in three constituencies. The opposition said it intends to formally challenge the results in court. The nonpartisan SVGHRA also reported irregularities and questioned the ability of international observers to declare the election free and fair, citing the limited period of time that observer missions from both the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States were in the country. The NGO specifically criticized the observers for failing to remain until all votes were counted. The elections produced no change in the makeup of the 15-seat parliament, with the ULP maintaining its 12 to 3 majority over the NDP.
In elections held on 13 December 2010, the ruling ULP was returned to office, winning eight seats. The opposition New Democratic Party increased its seats from four to seven. International observers from the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States declared the elections to be generally free and fair.
There were allegations from both the ruling party and the opposition of pre-election violence. Several shootings related to political rallies occurred in the weeks leading up to the election, but it was unclear if they were politically motivated. Opposition leaders filed lawsuits contesting the results in several constituencies. However, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) took over the prosecution of the 10 criminal charges filed and dismissed them. Although the DPP had the legal right to discontinue criminal proceedings, his decision was expected to be challenged.
On 09 December 2015, voters returned the ruling United Labor Party to office, giving it eight of the 15 elected seats in the unicameral House of Assembly (which also includes six appointed senators). The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) maintained its seven seats. While the NDP leader claimed many irregularities took place in at least one constituency, preliminary findings by international observers from the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States (OAS) declared the elections peaceful and successful and that the results reflected the will of the people. The OAS recommended the government improve gender equity in elective politics and voter education, ensure voter lists were accurate, and establish an independent electoral management body.
According to civil society reporting, police interfered on several occasions with a group of protesters who established themselves in front of the electoral office following the December 2015 elections. The police reportedly harassed the protesters, seized their property, and arrested several, charging them with minor infractions. According to the government, all police intervention occurred in the lawful enforcement of laws or regulations, including a law that prohibits protests within 200 yards of any government building.
Despite observations by the OAS and CARICOM for example, that the 2015 elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were generally free and fair, the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) has challenged the election results in the courts, maintaining that the elections were stolen, and asking the court to rule that NDP was in fact the victor of the 2015 elections.
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