IN SPITE OF MANY HURDLES KING WILL PULL IT OFF IN A TWO-WAY RACE?

Stephenson King

 We know relatively little about the unique challenges faced by independent candidates — those not endorsed by a registered or eligible political party.  Earlier this month, Stephenson King became one such candidate. 

A cabinet minister in the UWP government, he resigned from cabinet sighting he wants to work for country, and is seeking re-election in the next General Elections slated for July 26, 2021 as an independent. The story of his campaign is the story of the challenges plaguing independent candidates in their attempt to convince citizens to look beyond political parties when they vote.

One reason there are few independent candidates in St Lucia is that electoral success is elusive for them. From 1997 to 2016, only one independent won a seat in the House of Assembly. Generally, successful independents are those running for re-election directly after a severed relationship with a party. Moreover, party candidates have several benefits that independents do not have during a campaign.

Although we talk about an election as a single event, in fact a St Lucian General elections consists of  3 simultaneous local contests. As such, the local campaign is an important hub of activity during elections. Given the importance of parties in both legislative and electoral politics, most candidates in St Lucia are party candidates, nominated to represent a given party locally. Of the approximately 42 candidates who will run in the 2021 election, more than 97 percent are party candidates.

Every independent campaign is different and reflects unique local dynamics, although an independent occasionally attracts national media attention, as King did when she resigned from the UWP. Nonetheless, his primary task as an independent is no different from that of any other candidate: to convince local voters to prioritize the local candidate over other options.

However, Mr King faces challenges that party candidates do not. Simply put, political parties matter in  St Lucia. The importance of local campaigns and candidates pales in comparison with that of the national campaign and party leaders when it comes to voter decisions. Data from the 2016 election reveals that even though many voters formed a preference for a local candidate, the candidate was a decisive factor for a small percent of voters  island wide. Parties and their leaders provide important information shortcuts or cues to voters about ideology and policy positions. Moreover, they command media and public attention.

The biggest challenge for Stephenson King will be trying to convince his party voters that he  would be able to represent them effectively by not joining forces with SLP. Parties dominate the legislative process. An independent campaign needs to communicate consistently that voters would be well served, even without party backing.

As a “high profile” candidate, King has many advantages that can help to offset these challenges. First, he was an MP seeking re-election. Incumbents have name recognition, direct ties to the local community, resources associated with their position as an office-holder and potentially a greater ability to raise campaign funds. Moreover, incumbents have political experience as well as the ability to claim credit for projects in their ridings. Research has shown that the incumbent have a  good chance of winning compared with a non‐incumbent and they are more likely to benefit from a personal vote separate from the party or the leader.

As a former minister, King also has a considerable name recognition, experience and political clout. Moreover, the circumstances under which he became an independent brought national attention.

In the 1987 election, she was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the  UWP.  He was then appointed as a Cabinet Minister, serving as the Minister for Community Development, Social Affairs, Youth, Sports, and local Government.   He faced the electorate again in 1992. Following the election he was appointed to the Cabinet as the Minister for Health, Local Government, Information and Broadcasting.  He would succumb in the tumultuous defeat of the United Worker's Party in the 1997 election . 

Following a short-lived struggle between himself and Cybelle Cenac for that right King received the endorsement of the United Workers Party in 2006 to contest the General Elections as the Candidate for Castries North. He also won. Compton's illness in May 2007 prompted King to be named Acting Prime Minister.  King was subsequently sworn in as Prime Minister by Governor-General Pearlette Louisy on 9 September.

Janine Giraudy

In a televised address King stated that he will not contest the St. Lucia 2021 General Election  on a UWP ticket but as an independent candidate. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet accepted King's resignation on 8 July 2021.  He sighted, "So after deep and profound soul searching, consultations and prayers, and after having spent so much time, indeed for the past few years, attempting to share my wisdom with my colleagues to pursue a different brand of politics, I have reached the inevitable and painful conclusion that I can no longer be part of an organisation that I can hardly recognise," .

King benefitted not only from nationwide media attention, but also from the practical advantages that a high-profile candidate can bring to a campaign: such candidates tend to attract more volunteers and donations than their counterparts, and King’s campaign was no exception. And yet, despite these advantages, his bid for re-election remains an uphill battle — a testament to the difficulty of overcoming the hurdles all independent candidates face.

His UWP rival,  Janine Giraudy (a former president of the senate) is none other than the daughter of the founding member and past chairman of the United Workers Party.