On June 7, Timothy Harris was sworn in as the Prime Minister of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis for the second time. Harris’ Team Unity coalition won a landslide victory in the general elections held in the dual-island country on June 5.
On June 6, the electoral office of the Federation declared that the incumbent government would retain power in the Carribean country for another five-year term. The ruling coalition defeated the opposition Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party (SKNLP) by winning 9 of the 11 seats in the National Assembly (parliament).
In a tweet, Harris celebrated the victory and thanked the people for their enormous support. “What an election! Team Unity has won enough seats to form a second term of government. I am grateful for the support & faith put in us by the electorate who recognised our first term achievements & know we will deliver for them again in our second term,” wrote Harris.
Over 48,036 citizens were eligible to vote in 129 polling stations for the renewal of the 11 seats in unicameral parliament (8 of them belonging to Saint Kitts island and 3 to Nevis island) for the period of 2020-2025.
The electoral authorities and members of the observation mission of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reported that the elections were carried out calmly, respecting the physical distancing and other hygienic measures established due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that there was a good turnout of voters.
The Team Unity is made up of three political parties: the People’s Labor Party (PLP), the People’s Action Movement (PAM) and Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM). The political alliance was formed in 2013 and came to power after winning the 2015 election with 7 of the 11 seats in the legislative assembly, defeating former Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of the SKNLP, who ruled the country for 20 years from 1995 to 2015.
The heads of the states of several Latin American and Caribbean countries congratulated Harris and the Team Unity coalition on the resounding victory.
Prime Minister of Barbados and the chairperson of the CARICOM regional organization, Mia Mottley, in a press statement said that “the overwhelming nature of the victory at the polls indicates the level of confidence that the people of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis have in the party’s ability to guide them towards a safe and prosperous future.”
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro also congratulated Prime Minister Harris and the Team Unity coalition for the victory. In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that Venezuela “reaffirms its unconditional willingness to continue working together, in order to strengthen the strategic union and the bonds of brotherhood with Saint Kitts and Nevis, brotherly people of the Caribbean, member of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, ALBA.”
