Antigua: Three candidates to compete in St Mary South by-elections

The St Mary South constituency of Antigua is preparing for a heated by-election between three candidates on October 24^th. Andrew Antonio, Dwayne George and Kelvin “Shugy” Simon will be taking each other on, each hoping for a positive result in the elections.

All three met the nomination requirements necessary to book a spot on the ballot. The election is being followed quite like a sporting event would be, grabbing the attention of citizens outside the constituency as well.

The nomination process, which was highly anticipated and quite crucial in itself, took place at the Bolans Primary School.

The United Progressive Party opened proceedings with its candidate Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon. At 9:30, Kelvin was formally recognized as a candidate, to the thunderous applause of his party supporters.

The importance of the election is highlighted in the fact that the nominations, were broadcasted live for the throngs of people who wanted to witness the event themselves.

Simon made his name in political circles by unseating Samantha Marshall of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), on 18^th January 2023 General Elections.

The only blip in this otherwise pristine story was his resignation due to a legal dispute regarding his eligibility. He resigned on June 7^th from his position as a parliamentary representative.

This resulted in a by-election, to be conducted with in the span of 120 days.

Following this, Dwayne George came along on an ABLP ticket and submitted his nomination with his backers and family by his side, cheering him on. His nomination was filed at 4:30 pm.

Nigel Bascus on the other hand, came up short as a representative of the Missing Link-Voice of the People (MLVOP) party. This is a relatively new party, consisting of a sole member. He was unable to bring together 10 individuals from the constituency, who would accompany him for the nomination.

The second representative who filed his nomination was the Democratic National Alliance’s candidate for St Mary’s South, Andrew Antonio. His nomination was filed at 11:30 am.