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Snap general elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 5 August 2022, following the decision of incumbent prime minister Timothy Harris to dissolve the parliament on 11 May. Snap elections are constitutionally required within ninety days following the dissolution of parliament. [1] [2] [3]
The elections were the first in the country with a female party leader, with businesswoman and environmental consultant Janice Daniel-Hodge leading the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP), which was founded by her father, former Premier of Nevis and pro-Nevis secessionist Simeon Daniel. [4] However, the NRP failed to win a seat, despite seeing a small overall increase in its vote share.
The elections brought the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, led by Terrance Drew, back to power for the first time since their loss in 2015. The People's Action Movement, part of the outgoing ruling alliance in Harris government, was reduced to only one seat, their worst result since 2004, while their vote share of 16.23% was the worst in party history.
The Team Unity alliance first came to power in the 2015 elections, and won a second term in 2020. In 2022, tensions between PM Harris and his coalition partners led to them filing a motion of no confidence against him. The now in-opposition parties asked Governor-General Sir Tapley Seaton to dismiss Harris, prompting Seaton to remind them he does not have this power under the federation constitution. Harris responded by calling for the dissolution of parliament before the motion of no confidence was held. [5]
Eleven of the fifteen seats in the National Assembly are elected, with the other three members appointed by the Governor-General at some point after the elections and one seat held by the Attorney-General. [6] The eleven elected seats are elected in single-member constituencies using plurality voting. [7]
Six parties are contesting the election, three parties each contesting all seats in St. Kitts and three parties each contesting seats in Nevis: [8]
Date [nb 1] | Pollster | Sample size | PAM | CCM | PLP | SKNLP | NRP | MRM | Govt |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 Aug 2022 | 2022 general election | – | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
July 26, 2022 | Don Anderson/Market Research Services Limited (MRSL) [10] [11] | 4000 | – | 1 | – | – | 2 | 0 | N/A |
July 23, 2022 | Peter Wickham/Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) [12] | N/A | – | – | 4 (+2) | – | – | 0 | N/A |
21 Apr 2022 | Team Unity dissolves; splits into the PLP and One Movement (PAM & CCM) | ||||||||
5 June 2020 | 2020 general election | – | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 9 |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party | 13,438 | 45.75 | 6 | +4 | |
People's Labour Party | 5,036 | 17.14 | 1 | –1 | |
People's Action Movement | 4,737 | 16.13 | 1 | –3 | |
Concerned Citizens' Movement | 3,473 | 11.82 | 3 | 0 | |
Nevis Reformation Party | 2,616 | 8.91 | 0 | 0 | |
Moral Restoration Movement | 67 | 0.23 | 0 | New | |
Unity Labour Party | 5 | 0.02 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 3 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
Appointed and ex-officio members | 4 | 0 | |||
Total | 29,375 | 100.00 | 15 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 29,375 | 99.39 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 179 | 0.61 | |||
Total votes | 29,554 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 50,973 | 57.98 | |||
Source: SKN Times |
Terrance Drew was elected Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Drew ministry was sworn in on 15 August 2022. [13]
Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. With 261 square kilometres (101 sq mi) of territory, and roughly 48,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population, as well as the world's smallest sovereign federation. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as King and head of state.
Saint Kitts and Nevis have one of the longest written histories in the Caribbean, both islands being among Spain's and England's first colonies in the archipelago. Despite being only two miles apart and quite diminutive in size, Saint Kitts and Nevis were widely recognized as being separate entities with distinct identities until they were forcibly united in the late 19th century.
The politics of Saint Kitts and Nevis takes place in the framework of a federal parliamentary democracy. Saint Kitts and Nevis is an independent Commonwealth realm with Charles III as its head of state, viceregally represented by a Governor-General. He acts on the advice of the prime minister, who is the majority party leader in the National Assembly, and who, with a cabinet, conducts affairs of state.
Denzil Llewellyn Douglas is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician and the longest-serving prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in office from 1995 to 2015. He was the leader of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) from 1989 to 2021. He was the leader of the parliamentary opposition from 1989 to 1995 and from 2015 to 2022.
Timothy Sylvester Harris is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician, who served as the third prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 2015 to 2022. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 10 August 2001 to 25 January 2008, as Minister of Finance from 2008 to 2010, and as Senior Minister and Minister for Agriculture from 2010 to 2013.
The Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) is a Nevis-based political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Led by Mark Brantley, it is currently the largest party in Nevis, holding all three Nevisian seats in the National Assembly and three out of five seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The CCM operates only in Nevis and for the 2022 general election is in a One Movement alliance with the People's Action Movement (PAM) operating in Saint Kitts, following the breakdown of the governing Team Unity alliance.
The Nevis Reformation Party is a Nevis-based political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The party currently holds none of the eleven seats in the National Assembly. It is the official opposition party on Nevis, holding two of five seats in the Nevis Island Assembly after losing to the CCM in the 2022 election. Since 2020, the NRP has been led by businesswoman and environmental consultant Janice Daniel-Hodge, the first woman to lead a political party in the country and daughter of former Premier of Nevis Simeon Daniel.
The People's Action Movement (PAM) is a political party in the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The party currently holds one of the 11 seats in the National Assembly. PAM operates only in Saint Kitts and for the 2022 general election is in a 'One Movement' alliance with the Concerned Citizens' Movement (CCM) operating in Nevis, following the breakdown of the governing Team Unity alliance. PAM is a member of the Caribbean Democrat Union, the regional affiliate of the International Democrat Union and shares close links with other centre-right party members in the Caribbean such as the Jamaica Labour Party.
Simeon Daniel was the first Premier of Nevis.
General elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 25 January 2010 for eleven of the fourteen or fifteen seats in the National Assembly. The other three or four members of the National Assembly will be appointed by the Governor-General after the elections.
Shawn Kenneth Richards is a Saint Kitts and Nevis politician from People's Action Movement (PAM).
General elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 16 February 2015. The ruling Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, was defeated by Team Unity, an alliance of the Concerned Citizens' Movement, the People's Action Movement, and the People's Labour Party, led by Timothy Harris.
The People's Labour Party (PLP) is a political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis led by Timothy Harris. Despite only winning a single seat in the 2015 general elections, Harris became the third Prime Minister of the country following the elections. The party increased its number of seats in the National Assembly to two in the 2020 general elections, with Harris remaining Prime Minister.
Robelto Hector is a Nevisian politician and former leader of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and minister in Nevis cabinet.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis is an elected representative in the National Assembly who is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Historically, the person appointed to the position of Deputy Prime Minister is usually the Deputy Leader of the political party that holds the majority of seats in the national assembly or the Leader of another party in the case of a coalition government. The instrument of appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister can be found in the Constitution of St. Christopher and Nevis. The Deputy Prime Minister appointment can be revoked by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Terrance Michael Drew is a Kittitian medical doctor and politician who is the fourth and current prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, having been elected to the National Assembly in the 5 August 2022 general election.
Janice Daniel-Hodge is a businesswoman, politician and environmental consultant from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Drew ministry has governed Saint Kitts and Nevis since August 2022. It was formed by Prime Minister Terrance Drew after victory in the 2022 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election.
Island Assembly elections were held in Nevis on 12 December 2022 to elect five members of the Nevis Island Assembly.