Compton

CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC:

FORMER ST. Lucia Prime Minister, Sir John Compton, has returned to the leadership of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP), which he founded in 1964.

Sir John, 79, who had bowed out of active politics in the 1990s, convincingly defeated his hand picked successor, Professor Vaughan Lewis during the voting at the party's convention on Sunday in the west coast town of Soufriere.

Sir John tallied 260 votes to 135 gained by Dr. Lewis, who left the convention hall minutes before the final results were announced.

The announcement by a representative of the Electoral Commission was greeted with loud cheers from supporters and the former prime minister, who led this country into independence in 1979, warned the ruling St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) that it would no longer be business as usual.

"They should prepare themselves to deal with the wrath of a newly energised opposition United Workers Party," Sir John said in a statement immediately after the results were announced.

A confident Sir John said that it was no longer a question "if" the UWP would win the next elections, and that his first priority on getting back to government, would be to get the economy going and urgently address issues of crime, education and unemployment.

FORMER MINISTER ELECTED

Delegates also re-elected former minister, Stephenson King, as the UWP's chairman, and Leonard Montoute as the deputy political leader.

Sir John said that he hoped his long and cordial relationship with Dr. Lewis would not be affected by the results.

The former prime minister in February announced his intention to regain the leadership of the party, he led for most of his political life, after a poll commissioned by Dr. Lewis indicated that 63 per cent of UWP supporters wanted him to return as political leader.

Sir John said that his re-entry into active politics was in response to a call from UWP supporters to return.