BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE, both sides are predicting victories in tomorrow’s general elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
In fact, both the ruling Unity Labour Party and the Opposition New Democratic Party have stopped just short of saying each party will have clean sweeps, as officials on both sides conceded strongholds might be hard to breech.
But whoever emerges victorious, Thursday will be a bank holiday and a day of celebrations.
Yesterday, general secretary of the ULP and campaign manager for the elections Julian Francis told NATION ONLINE he was comfortable with the clean campaign his party had been conducting in the run up to general elections today. And he lambasted the NDP for making “scurrilous” accusations about party leader Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
He said the party was so confident of a sweeping victory, especially given a predicted five per cent swing of voters in its favour, that the ULP expected to win every seat, even that of Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace in East Kingstown.
But campaign manager for the NDP, Elmore Edwards has a different take on the outcome. He said while the ULP is predicting ‘four in a row’ – as in four terms in office in row, what they will get is four seats “coming down in a row”.
He said the party started its campaign machinery rolling in October 2014 and was therefore more than prepared for the announcing of the elections in November.
The NDP’s campaign has been “very positive”, shying away from any mud-slinging, unlike the ULP, he asserted.
“We speak on the issues that are relevant. If we see something that is bad and it is harmful to the country we speak on it,” he declared.