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15 seats in the House of Assembly 8 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 67.36% ( 1.75pp) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 15 June 1998. [1] Although the Unity Labour Party (ULP) received a majority of the public vote, the New Democratic Party (NDP) won a majority of seats, the first time the party receiving a majority of the vote had failed to win the elections since 1966. Voter turnout was 67%. [2]
The ruling NDP led by Prime Minister James Mitchell was opposed by the ULP headed by Vincent Beache; the ULP had been founded in 1994 by a merger of the Movement for National Unity (MNU) and the Saint Vincent Labour Party. The election date had been announced on 18 May. [3]
During the campaign, the NDP advocated tax cuts and the promotion of tourism and agricultural development, while the ULP called for job creation, economic development and improved social services. [4]
When polling results giving the NDP eight seats and the ULP seven seats were announced, Beache declared that he could not accept the outcome and called for fresh elections, alleging voter intimidation, fraud, and bribery; this was promptly rebutted by the NDP. Final results showed the ULP had received 54.6% of valid votes.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Labour Party | 28,025 | 54.60 | 7 | +4 | |
| New Democratic Party | 23,258 | 45.31 | 8 | –4 | |
| People's Working Party | 45 | 0.09 | 0 | New | |
| Total | 51,328 | 100.00 | 15 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 51,328 | 99.64 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 185 | 0.36 | |||
| Total votes | 51,513 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 76,469 | 67.36 | |||
| Source: Nohlen | |||||
| Constituency | ULP | NDP | PWP | Valid | Total | Turnout | Registered | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
| North Windward | 1,817 | 49.2% | 1,875 | 50.8% | 3,692 | 3,704 | 79% | 4,668 | ||
| North Central Windward | 2,943 | 78.1% | 827 | 21.9% | 3,770 | 3,789 | 67% | 5,697 | ||
| South Central Windward | 1,811 | 48.5% | 1,920 | 51.5% | 3,731 | 3,751 | 70% | 5,332 | ||
| South Windward | 2,361 | 67.3% | 1,102 | 31.4% | 45 | 1.3% | 3,508 | 3,521 | 69% | 5,086 |
| Marriaqua | 2,504 | 63.3% | 1,453 | 36.7% | 3957 | 3,966 | 69% | 5,724 | ||
| East St. George | 2,514 | 62.3% | 1,522 | 37.7% | 4,036 | 4,046 | 68% | 5,993 | ||
| West St. George | 2,366 | 62.5% | 1,421 | 37.5% | 3,787 | 3,803 | 65% | 5,819 | ||
| East Kingstown | 1,655 | 49.6% | 1,682 | 50.4% | 3,337 | 3,346 | 60% | 5,552 | ||
| Central Kingstown | 2,006 | 56.3% | 1,558 | 43.7% | 3,564 | 3,578 | 62% | 5,792 | ||
| West Kingstown | 1,502 | 47.0% | 1,691 | 53.0% | 3,193 | 3,208 | 59% | 5,403 | ||
| South Leeward | 2,014 | 48.8% | 2,117 | 51.2% | 4,131 | 4,147 | 69% | 5,995 | ||
| Central Leeward | 2,183 | 56.7% | 1,670 | 43.3% | 3,853 | 3,861 | 74% | 5,225 | ||
| North Leeward | 1,658 | 46.9% | 1,880 | 53.1% | 3,538 | 3,543 | 72% | 4,932 | ||
| Northern Grenadines | 220 | 11.7% | 1,668 | 88.3% | 1,888 | 1,898 | 59% | 3,236 | ||
| Southern Grenadines | 471 | 35.1% | 872 | 64.9% | 1,343 | 1,352 | 67% | 2,015 | ||
| Total | 28,025 | 54.6% | 23,258 | 45.3% | 45 | 0.1% | 51,328 | 51,513 | 67% | 76,469 |
| Source: Caribbean Elections [5] | ||||||||||
On 17 June Mitchell was sworn in for his fourth consecutive term as Prime Minister; his new Cabinet took office the next day. In December 1998 Beache resigned as leader of the ULP, and Ralph Gonsalves was elected in his place. However, Beache remained as leader of the opposition in the House of Assembly. [4]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea, where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean.
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Ralph Everard Gonsalves is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
SirJames Fitz-Allen Mitchell was a Vincentian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1984 to 2000 and as the second Premier of Saint Vincent from 1972 to 1974. He founded the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1975, and served as its president until 2000.
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