Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer says the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal’s ruling is both a victory and a relief for the entire country.
Although his St John’s Rural West seat was among three hanging in the balance, Spencer said he doesn’t feel the relief as much for himself as he did for the country.
“I believe that this is a victory for the people, it is also a victory for common sense and we can only hope that as a result of this decision, the United Progressive Party as a government and as a party will be able to move forward and deliver for the people of Antigua & Barbuda,” he told Observer in immediate reaction to the ruling delivered by Chief Justice Hugh Rawlins in St Lucia.
“The last 18-19 months have been very challenging for us as this whole scenario unfolded. We knew all along that there was something fundamentally wrong with the original court’s decision and we felt compelled to have challenged it and we have done so successfully.”
The Prime Minister said the government now has to get on with the job of “delivering for and behalf of the people of Antigua”.
Spencer added that the government needs citizens to continue to keep faith in the UPP administration, despite the trying times.
“We are calling for the nation to come together and recognise that the elections are now, for all intents and purposes, completely over and we need to come together as a nation and as a people to deal with the challenges that confront us at the present time and to work to ensure that we can overcome these challenges,” he said.
Loud cheers and shouts erupted at the UPP headquarters around 10:15 am when the news broke on Observer Radio, which had been giving the nation ball by ball coverage of the ruling as it was delivered, that the Chief Justice had declared the election of Spencer, Dr Jacqui Quinn-Leandro and John Maginley valid, overturning Justice Louise Blenman’s High Court ruling on March 31.
The mood was very much different as Antigua Labour Party (ALP) officials and supporters gathered at 46 North Street, apparently in shock. Senior figures declined to speak to Observer after the ruling.
Spencer said he hoped the ALP would use the Court of Appeal decision as a turning point and would work with the government in the interst of the country.
