2022 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election

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2022 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg
←  2020 5 August 2022
11 of the 15 seats in the National Assembly
6 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Terrance Drew 2022.jpg Secretary Pompeo Meets with Saint Kitts and Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Brantley (49430297112) (cropped).jpg
Leader Terrance Drew Mark Brantley
Party SKNLP CCM
Alliance One Movement
Last election37.09%, 2 seats12.62%, 3 seats
Seats won63
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 4Steady2.svg 0
Popular vote13,4383,473
Percentage45.75%11.82%
SwingIncrease2.svg 8.66ppDecrease2.svg 0.80pp
 Third partyFourth party
  ShawnRichards.jpg Timothy Harris 2019.jpg
Leader Shawn Richards Timothy Harris
Party PAM PLP
Alliance One Movement
Last election29.00%, 4 seats13.23%, 2 seats
Seats won11
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 1
Popular vote4,7375,036
Percentage16.13%17.14%
SwingDecrease2.svg 12.87ppIncrease2.svg 3.91pp
2022 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election results by constituency.svg
Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election

Timothy Harris
PLP

Elected Prime Minister

Terrance Drew
SKNLP

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]

Contents

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 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 was reduced to only one seat, their worst result since 2004, while their vote share of 16.23% was the worst received in party history.

Background

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]

Electoral system

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]

Parties and Candidates

Six parties are contesting the election, three parties each contesting all seats in St. Kitts and three parties each contesting seats in Nevis: [8]

  1. People’s Labour Party (PLP): contesting all eight seats in St Kitts
  2. St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP): contesting all eight seats in St Kitts
  3. People’s Action Movement (PAM): contesting all eight seats in St Kitts (One Movement Alliance)
  4. Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM): contesting all three seats in Nevis (One Movement Alliance)
  5. Nevis Reformation Party (NRP): contesting all three seats in Nevis
  6. Moral Restoration Movement (MRM): contesting two of the three seats in Nevis

Endorsements

Janice Daniel-Hodge, Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) Political Leader
Politicians

Opinion polls

Date [nb 1] PollsterSample size PAM CCM PLP SKNLP NRP MRMGovt
5 Aug 20222022 general election–1316006
July 26, 2022Don Anderson/Market Research Services Limited (MRSL) [10] [11] 4000–1––20N/A
July 23, 2022Peter Wickham/Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) [12] N/A––4 (+2)––0N/A
21 Apr 2022 Team Unity dissolves; splits into the PLP and One Movement (PAM & CCM)
5 June 2020 2020 general election –43220–9

Results

Saint-Christophe-et-Nieves Assemblee nationale 2022.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party 13,43845.756+4
People's Labour Party 5,03617.141–1
People's Action Movement 4,73716.131–3
Concerned Citizens' Movement 3,47311.8230
Nevis Reformation Party 2,6168.9100
Moral Restoration Movement670.230New
Unity Labour Party50.020New
Independents30.0100
Appointed and ex-officio members40
Total29,375100.00150
Valid votes29,37599.39
Invalid/blank votes1790.61
Total votes29,554100.00
Registered voters/turnout50,97357.98
Source: SKN Times

Elected MPs

ConstituencyMPsParty
St Christopher #1 Geoffrey Hanley   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
St Christopher #2 Marsha Henderson   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
St Christopher #3 Konris Maynard   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
St Christopher #4 Samal Duggins   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
St Christopher #5 Shawn Richards   People's Action Movement
St Christopher #6 Denzil Douglas   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
St Christopher #7 Timothy Harris   People's Labour Party
St Christopher #8 Terrance Drew   Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
Nevis #9 Mark Brantley   Concerned Citizens' Movement
Nevis #10 Eric Evelyn   Concerned Citizens' Movement
Nevis #11 Alexis Jeffers   Concerned Citizens' Movement
Source: SKN Vibes

Aftermath

Terrance Drew was elected Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Drew ministry was sworn in on 15 August 2022. [13]

Notes

  1. ↑ These are the survey dates of the poll, or if the survey dates are not stated, the date the poll was released.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Kitts and Nevis</span> Country in the West Indies

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 50,000 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Saint Kitts and Nevis</span> Aspect of history

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Saint Kitts and Nevis</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denzil Douglas</span> 2nd Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Harris</span> Former Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concerned Citizens' Movement</span> Political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis

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 seats 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Action Movement</span> Political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis

The People's Action Movement (PAM) is a political party in 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simeon Daniel</span>

Simeon Daniel was the first Premier of Nevis.

Konris Maynard, or King Konris born 8 July 1983 on the island of St. Kitts, is most notable for having won the Saint Kitts and Nevis National Calypso Show four times in succession, a record only he holds. Maynard also won a fifth crown, to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Independence of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Richards</span>

Shawn Kenneth Richards is a Saint Kitts and Nevis politician from People's Action Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Saint Kitts and Nevis general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Labour Party (Saint Kitts and Nevis)</span> Political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis

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 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 as Prime Minister.

Robelto Hector is a Nevisian politician and former leader of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and minister in Nevis cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis</span>

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.

Janice Daniel-Hodge is a businesswoman, politician and environmental consultant from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Events from the year 2020 in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Island Assembly elections were held in Nevis on 12 December 2022 to elect five members of the Nevis Island Assembly.

References

  1. ↑ "St Kitts and Nevis: Six ministers suspended as Timothy Harris dissolves parliament". WIC News. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  2. ↑ "St. Kitts/Nevis Parliament dissolved as PM Harris fires government ministers". CNW Network. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  3. ↑ "Election bell rung, St Kitts-Nevis returning to the polls on August 5". Loop Caribbean News. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Junior Minister of Gender Affairs on Nevis commends Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge, first woman to lead a political party in SKN". NIA - Nevis Island Administration. 2020-09-14. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  5. ↑ Dixon, Loshaun (2022-05-27). "Team Unity: How it started, where it went wrong". The St Kitts Nevis Observer. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  6. ↑ Team Unity declared official winners of St Kitts Election Archived 2015-02-20 at the Wayback Machine The Daily Observer, 17 February 2015
  7. ↑ Electoral system IPU
  8. ↑ McLeod, Sheri-Kae (2022-07-28). "St Kitts candidates nominated for August 5 general election in carnival style". CNW Network. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  9. ↑ "| By The Nevis Reformation Party | Facebook" . Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Scientific Polling Signals a Win for the NRP in Upcoming Elections". ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  11. ↑ "#SKNElection: Pollster gives PLP the slight lead ahead of Aug 5 polls | Loop Caribbean News". Loop News. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  12. ↑ "PM HARRIS' PEOPLES LABOUR PARTY HAS THE MOMENTUM GOING INTO UPCOMING ELECTIONS ON ST.KITTS-NEVIS SAYS POLLSTER PETER WICKHAM" . Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  13. ↑ "New SKN Labour Party Cabinet Sworn-In". The St Kitts Nevis Observer. 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
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