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Ron Green retains Lapaline Constituency
Despite the Dominica Labour Party’s inordinate efforts to wrest Laplaine from the incumbent United Workers Party and Opposition Leader, Ron Green has retained his seat in what can be considered as one of the closest contest of this election cycle.
Green edged out DLP’s Senator and challenger Peter St.Jean by a mere twelve (12) votes to poll 727 votes out of the 1,442 ballots casted. There were seven (7) spoiled ballots.
Laplaine had always promised to be a battleground constituency. In 2005 Green defeated St.Jean by eighty-six (86) votes, a relatively comfortable victory, but close enough to keep the constituency within striking distance for the DLP.
Before the dust had settled, the DLP set about to prop and position St.Jean for a second run against Green in the 2009 contest. He was made a Senator and brought into the cabinet as a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education. And in what appeared to be a carefully crafted strategy, the Government Information Service sometimes referred to the Senator as the Parliamentary Representative for the Laplaine constituency thus deliberately blurring the lines between the party and government. Additionally, the DLP also executed several projects in the constituency.
One day following the Prime Minster’s announcement of a snap election, Green accused the DLP of “attempting to steal the elections”. He charged the DLP among other things of seeking to illegally bringing in overseas based Dominicans to vote in a number of marginal constituencies. “They are targeting the Laplaine constituency” he told reporters. “I have a list which shows they plan to bring in some133 persons to illegally vote in Laplaine.”
It’s too early to tell whether for a fact overseas voters were brought into Laplaine or how much impact they might have had in boosting St.Jean fortunes. Notwithstanding the stiff challenge, Green was able to fight back and successfully defend his ground. He effectively countered and effectively neutralized the DLP’s huge budget and media advantage to win by a slender majority.
Norris Prevost (Roseau Central), Victor ‘Spaggs”John (Salisbury) and, Edison James (Marigot) also secured victory for the UWP. Others however were not as lucky. Norris Charles (Roseau Valley), Abraham Brown (Morne Jaune), and Ezekiel Bazil who replaced Peter Carbon in Wesley capitulated in this general elections.
Green was expected to give a concession speech but declined pending the official recount of the ballots tomorrow.
