Browne issues warning to supporters ahead of naming date for general election

ST JOHN’S CMC:

Prime Minister Gaston Browne is warning supporters of the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) against becoming complacent as the country gears for a general election that is expected to take place next month.

While no specific date has yet been announced for the polls, Browne has told the nation that he has already written to the governor general, Sir Rodney Williams, advising him to dissolve Parliament paving the way for a general election.

One political party, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has already announced that it will not be fielding candidates in the elections.

“Following a meeting of the Management Committee of the Democratic National Alliance …i t was unanimously decided that the party will not participate in the snap general elections advised by the prime minister, which are expected to be called within 90 days,” the party said.

“The DNA thanks its dedicated supporters, members, and well-wishers for their unwavering support, encouragement and prayers over the years,” said the party, founded on April 18, 2017, and currently led by former legislator Joanne Massiah.

In the last general election which was held on January 18, 2023, the ruling ABLP won nine of the 17 seats with the others going to the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) and a lone independent candidate.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme, Browne told supporters that while opinion polls show that the party is most likely to win the elections, they should not assume victory is guaranteed and must remain fully engaged in the campaign.

“I want to make a point to some of our supporters. Yes, we have caught the UPP, let’s say divided and unprepared. It’s never good for a political party to be caught unprepared, much less divided.

“So there are two things going for us there. But at the same time, we ought not take them for granted. And the risk that we run is our comrades taking the position that we already won and there’s no need for them to get the [voter identification] card validated or to vote.”

Browne said that it was important for supporters to ensure that they’re in a position to vote on election day “and at the same time... for them to go out and to vote”.

He recalled that in the 2023 general election a number of supporters did not vote “and when they recognised that their nonchalant behaviour could have caused us to lose, the following Friday after the elections, if you saw the amount of people we had not seen for years who showed up, literally in shock that, you know, they did not participate, they didn’t campaign, they didn’t come to our rallies.

Requires a validation

“I think they felt that we had it in the bag. So I’m saying that to say that it is not won until it is won and that our people must be vigilant. They must be prepared. And the preparation requires a validation. And again, you could be inadvertently disenfranchised if you wait until the last minute because of the limited capacity to process the cards.”

Browne told radio listeners that new polling data show the ruling party holding a significant lead over the UPP, claiming there has been a “decisive shift” in voter support ahead of the polls.

He said the poll places the ABLP at 49 per cent support compared to 26 per cent for the UPP and that his support stands at 59 per cent as against the Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, whose support is at 15 per cent.

“These polls demonstrate that they do not see Pringle as leadership material,” Browne said, adding that voters prefer “safe and secure hands” to manage the country amid global uncertainty.

He said there has been a 22-point swing away from the UPP, noting that the ABLP is up 13 percentage points while the UPP has declined by nine points.

Browne said polling conducted for both parties by regional pollsters Peter Wickham of Barbados and Don Anderson of Jamaica produced similar findings, suggesting consistency across surveys.

The UPP has not publicly responded to the claims by Browne.