Saint Lucia Has Spoken: Why Allen Chastanet's UWP Was Rejected Twice in Four Years—and What Voters Saw That We Must Remember
Two Elections, One Clear Verdict
Across two consecutive general elections—2021 and 2025—Saint Lucian voters have delivered an unequivocal message: they do not trust Allen Chastanet's UWP administration and do not wish to repeat that experiment. What makes this moment historic is not only the scale of UWP's defeats but also how strongly they confirm the core thesis many citizens have voiced for years: "We must never vote for the UWP Administration under this leadership again."
The Record that Broke Public Trust
The 2016–2021 UWP government left behind a trail of problems that went far beyond normal policy disagreements. Key fact-based issues repeatedly surfaced in investigations, media analyses, and public debate.
Corruption and Mismanagement
Multiple controversies—such as the PAJOAH letter, questionable land deals like Anse Jambette, and contracts for projects like Fresh Start and the Hewanorra Airport redevelopment—raised serious concerns about transparency, favouritism, and the handling of public money. These were not just opposition talking points; leaked documents, technical reports, and the testimony of former insiders supported them.
St. Jude Hospital: A Symbol of Failure
Under UWP, St. Jude Hospital became the national emblem of broken promises. The reconstruction was halted, redirected, or mishandled several times, leaving a half-finished, decaying complex—the infamous "box"—despite hundreds of millions of dollars reportedly spent and years of patient suffering.
Chronic Unemployment and Youth Joblessness
During the Chastanet years, overall unemployment sat above 20%, with youth unemployment frequently above 30–37%, according to official labour force data and independent analyses. Despite high-profile rhetoric about jobs and growth, there were no robust, scaled reforms that structurally shifted these numbers in UWP's favour by 2021.
Divisive and Mean-Spirited Leadership Style
Chastanet became known for combative, sometimes vengeful rhetoric—publicly targeting opponents, civil servants, and critics—deepening distrust and fear. Former senior figures like Stephenson King and Richard Frederick eventually broke with him, citing dysfunction, manipulation inside the party, and leadership practices they could no longer support. By 2021, many Saint Lucians had not just "heard" about these issues—they had lived through them.
2021: The First Landslide Rejection
The 2021 general election transformed this record into hard numbers: the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) won 13 of 17 seats, a decisive majority. The UWP collapsed from 11 seats to just 2, while two formerly key UWP figures—Stephenson King and Richard Frederick—won as independents after publicly breaking with Chastanet. This was more than a routine change of government; it was a referendum on UWP's 2016–2021 rule: voters "remembered and rejected" the corruption scandals, the St. Jude debacle, persistent youth unemployment, and the aggressive, polarizing tone of governance.
Note: Both Stephenson King and Richard Frederick are former UWP members who broke with Allen Chastanet's leadership. Richard Frederick was expelled from the UWP in August 2014 after refusing to work with Chastanet. Stephenson King, who served as UWP Prime Minister from 2007-2011, resigned from the party in July 2021, just weeks before the election. After winning their seats as independents in 2021, both joined Philip J. Pierre's SLP Cabinet in August 2021 and have served in the SLP government since then. However, they continue to run as independents rather than official SLP candidates.
2021–2025: A New Baseline Under SLP
What happened between 2021 and 2025 made the contrast even starker. Philip J. Pierre's SLP government gave voters an entirely different reference point.
Unemployment Fell to Historic Lows
Official Labour Force Surveys and government communications show that overall unemployment dropped from about 21.9% in 2021 to roughly 11–12% by 2024, the lowest levels in decades. Youth unemployment, which had hovered above 30–37% under UWP, declined sharply by nearly 20 percentage points.
St. Jude Delivered at Last
After years of UWP paralysis, the SLP government pushed St. Jude Hospital to completion. By late 2024–2025, the rebuilt facility was officially handed over, with images of modern wards replacing the haunting ruins of the "box." For many citizens, this single project encapsulated the difference between UWP's habit of announcing and SLP's habit of delivering.
Steadier, Less Combative Governance
Pierre's style emphasized institutional respect, calmer rhetoric, and incremental delivery, in sharp contrast to Chastanet's more Trump-like politics: heavy use of spectacle, religious framing, and personal attacks. By the time the 2025 campaign began, voters could compare two lived experiences: the UWP term (2016–2021) versus the SLP term (2021–2025).
Chastanet's Religious Rebrand—and Why It Failed
Facing this history, Allen Chastanet tried a second act built on religion and personal transformation. He released videos and posts casting himself as a "changed man," now guided by faith and humility, and he often spoke about God, forgiveness, and his spiritual growth. This mirrored a familiar Trump-style move: using religious language and biblical imagery to recast himself not as the author of past harms, but as a redeemed, faith-driven leader deserving a second chance. But Saint Lucian voters had something more potent than branding: memory and comparison.
2025: The Second, Even Deeper Rejection
In the December 2025 general election, the electorate delivered its second, and even sharper, judgment: SLP won 14 seats—gaining one more seat from the 2021 results—and Philip J. Pierre was comfortably re-elected Prime Minister with a commanding 77.8% in his own constituency of Castries East. UWP was reduced to just 1 seat: Allen Chastanet's own constituency of Micoud South, where he won with 58.6%. The two independents from 2021—Stephenson King (Castries North, 66.0%) and Richard Frederick (Castries Central, 59.5%), both serving in the SLP Cabinet, retained their seats.
Regional and local media highlighted that this broke the "one-term and out" ritual that had defined Saint Lucian politics since 2000, in which incumbents were regularly booted after failing to deliver. Pierre's SLP succeeded precisely because voters compared his administration's tangible achievements—St. Jude completed, unemployment slashed, steadier governance—with their lived memories of Chastanet's UWP years.
| Constituency | Winning Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anse la Raye/CanAaries | Wayne Girard | SLP | 2,746 | 56.0% |
| Babonneau | John Paul Estaphane | SLP | 3,918 | 58.8% |
| Castries Central | Richard Frederick* | Independent (SLP Cabinet) | 2,151 | 59.5% |
| Castries East | Philip J. Pierre (PM) | SLP | 4,014 | 77.8% |
| Castries North | Stephenson King* | Independent (SLP Cabinet) | 3,485 | 66.0% |
| Castries South | Ernest Hilaire | SLP | 3,228 | 67.7% |
| Castries South East | Lisa Jawahir | SLP | 4,299 | 57.4% |
| Choiseul | Keithson Charles | SLP | 2,941 | 53.9% |
| Dennery North | Shawn A. Edward | SLP | 2,786 | 58.0% |
| Dennery South | Alfred Prospere | SLP | 1,495 | 50.7% |
| Gros Islet | Kenson Joel Casimir | SLP | 8,175 | 67.9% |
| Laborie | Alva Romanus Baptiste | SLP | 2,612 | 81.2% |
| Micoud North | Jeremiah Norbert | SLP | 2,311 | 57.4% |
| Micoud South | Allen Michael Chastanet | UWP | 2,292 | 58.6% |
| Soufriere | Emma Hippolyte | SLP | 2,616 | 51.8% |
| Vieux Fort North | Moses Jn Baptiste | SLP | 2,444 | 72.4% |
| Vieux Fort South | Danny Butcherenny D. Anthony | SLP | 3,569 | 75.4% |
*Former UWP members who serve in the SLP Cabinet but run as independents
Final Results: Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) – 14 seats | United Workers Party (UWP) – 1 seat | Independents (serving in SLP Cabinet) – 2 seats
Conclusion: Memory Matters
The 2025 election results represent more than just another political victory—they mark a definitive rejection of a style of governance that prioritized spectacle over substance, division over unity, and promises over delivery. Allen Chastanet's UWP, reduced to a single seat, now stands as a cautionary tale about what happens when leaders underestimate people's memory and judgment.
The symbolic importance of King and Frederick's journey cannot be overstated. Two former UWP leaders—one a former Prime Minister—publicly broke with Chastanet, joined the SLP government, and have served effectively for four years. Their defection in 2021 was not just about personal ambition; it was a principled stand against a leadership style they found incompatible with good governance. Their continued presence in Pierre's cabinet validates that decision and demonstrates that effective governance transcends party labels.
Saint Lucians remembered, compared, and chose accordingly. This is democracy working as it should: voters holding their leaders accountable and rewarding tangible results over empty rhetoric.
Comments