Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party

The Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) is a centre-left political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is currently in opposition in the country after winning two of the eleven seats in the 2020 general election. It is the oldest active political party in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party
LeaderDenzil Douglas
ChairpersonTerrence Drew
Founded25 January 1932
HeadquartersMasses House, Church Street, Basseterre
IdeologySocial democracy
Political positionCentre-left
Seats
2 / 11
Website
www.labourskn.com

History

The party was founded in 1932, and was initially known as the St Kitts Workers' League.[1] It put forward two candidates in the 1937 elections, both of which were elected. It subsequently won all the elected seats in 1940, 1943 and 1946.[2]

From 1946 until 1978 the party was led by Robert Bradshaw. It saw most of its success on Saint Kitts, as voters on Nevis and Anguilla tended to elect independents and local parties.[3] It was the only party to contest the 1952 elections and won all eight seats.[4] They retained power in the 1957 despite losing three seats to independents. The party was also victorious in 1961, and were renamed the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Labour Party in 1966.[5] They went on to win the 1966, 1971 and 1975 elections, winning seven seats on each occasion.

When Anguilla seceded in 1980, the party adopted its current name.[6] In the elections that year the party was reduced to four seats, and although it was the largest faction in the National Assembly, the opposition People's Action Movement was able to form a coalition government. The Labour Party was reduced to two seats in the 1984 elections, and remained with only two MPs after the 1989 elections. Although it received the most votes in the 1993 elections and won the same number of seats as the PAM, the PAM remained in power. However, early elections were called in 1995, in which the Labour Party won a majority of seats. They increased their majority in the 2000 elections and retained power in elections in 2004 and 2010.

Election results
Election year # of
votes		 % of
vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Govt?
1937 N/A
2 / 5
 2 Opposition
1940 N/A
3 / 5
 1 Majority
1943 N/A
3 / 5
 Majority
1946 N/A
3 / 5
 Majority
1952 11,016 84.7 (#1)
8 / 8
 5 Majority
1957 5,270 53.6 (#1)
5 / 8
 3 Majority
1961 7,808 64.5 (#1)
7 / 10
 2 Majority
1966 6,249 44.3 (#1)
7 / 10
 Majority
1971 7,416 50.8 (#1)
7 / 10
 Majority
1975 7,363 60.2 (#1)
7 / 10
 Majority
1980 7,355 55.0 (#1)
4 / 9
 3 Official Opposition
1984 7,463 41.3 (#2)
2 / 11
 2 Official Opposition
1989 6,642 37.3 (#2)
2 / 11
 Official Opposition
1993 8,405 43.8 (#1)
4 / 11
 2 Official Opposition
1995 10,662 49.2 (#1)
7 / 11
 3 Majority
2000 11,762 53.6 (#1)
8 / 11
 1 Majority
2004 11,426 50.6 (#1)
7 / 11
 1 Majority
2010 12,227 47.0 (#1)
6 / 11
 1 Majority
2015 11,897 39.3 (#1)
3 / 11
 3 Official Opposition
2020 10,355 37.1 (#1)
2 / 11
 1 Official Opposition
gollark: I can complain about *all* features simultaneously.
gollark: I can complain about multiple features simultaneously.
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gollark: I forgot.
gollark: How *do* you spectre of communism?

References
  1. Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies, Greenwood Publishing Group, p131
  2. Alexander & Parker, p136
  3. Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p570 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  4. Nohlen, pp576-578
  5. Alexander & Parker, pp135–136
  6. Nohlen, p569
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