 February
10, 2008: Riding an apparent wave of change, in the last
13 months, several Caricom countries have changed
Governments; a trend that is perhaps slightly worrying
for incumbents in the region with elections in the next
12-24 months.
The latest to do so is Belize, where in
Thursday's elections the United Democratic Party led by
lawyer Dean Barrow (caption photo) comprehensively defeated
the United People's Party led by Prime Minister Said Musa
winning 25 of the 31 parliamentarian seats. The
56-year old Barrow, described his victory as Belize's great
awakening! He became the first black Prime Minister of the Central American Country of 300,000 people who gained full independence from Britain in 1981.
Recent Government changes in the Caricom Region
Bahamas - Hubert Ingraham's Free National
Movement(FNM) defeated Prime Minister Perry Christie's
Progressive Liberal Party - (PLP) - (2, May, 2007).
Jamaica - Bruce Golding's Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)
defeated Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's People's
National Party (PNP) (3, September 2007).
British Virgin Islands
- Ralph O'Neal of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) became the
island's first Premier over the incumbent National
Democratic Party (NDP) led by Dr. Orlando Smith, - (20
August 2007).
Barbados - David Thompson's
Democratic Labour Party (DLP) defeated Prime Minister
Owen Arthur's Barbados Labour
Party (BLP) - (15, January, 2008).
|
