A few Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidates predictably failed to garner enough votes to hold on to their $250 deposits, as did the Leader of the Friends of Democracy and all others in the coalition party.
None of the fringe party members or Independent candidates was able to save their money as they all failed to capture the required one-sixth of the valid votes cast in the respective constituencies which they were vying to represent.
The calculations are based on the Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (EBC) just released General Election final results of the February 11 poll. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) romped home to a third 30-0 victory, defeating the other major party, the DLP.
There were some narrow escapes for at least two DLP candidates, Andre Worrell, the candidate for St Michael Central who went over the threshold by a mere 20 votes, and St Michael West Central’s James Paul, who scrambled under the tape by 29 votes. His colleagues, St Michael South candidate Nathaniel Boyce had 53 votes over and Rolerick Hinds, running in St Thomas, had 81 votes over what was required for him to be reimbursed his deposit.
Those who suffered the double whammy of not winning the seat and not securing the refund of their deposit are candidates for The City of Bridgetown – Dale Rowe; St James North’s Charles Worrell, St Michael North East’s Jamal Sandiford, who went up against Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, and St Philip West candidate and political leader of the Friends of Democracy, Karina Goodridge, who was appointed to the Senate nine days after the elections.
Those also losing out on their deposits were Lynette Eastmond, leader of United Progressive Party (UPP) and member of the People’s Coalition for Progress, all the members of that coalition – comprising the Friends of Democracy, the Bajan Free Party, the Barbados Sovereignty Party, Solutions Barbados and Reform Barbados – as well as the Independents.
Those who were reimbursed in an election in which none of the constituencies saw half of their registered voters turned out included former leader of the DLP, Ralph Thorne, who contested the St John seat.
Initial figures
In all the Christ Church ridings, on the face of the initial figures, all the losing DLP candidates – Christ Church East Central, Quincy Jones; Christ Church West Central, Rasheed Belgrave; Christ Church East, Amoy Gilding-Bourne; Christ Church South, Corey Greenidge; and Christ Church West, Andrew Cave – are in line to recoup their deposits.
So too are the other former St Michael candidates: St Michael East, Ensley Grainger; St Michael North West, Ryan Walters, which was the last constituency to be declared; St Michael North, Dawn-Marie Armstrong; St Michael South Central, Richard Sealy; St Michael South East, Pedro Shepherd; and St Michael West, Damien Fanus.
There was no doubt about Ian Griffith regaining his deposit since he had the narrowest of defeats, losing by 185 in St Lucy. In the east, St Philip North’s Simon Clarke, St Philip South’s Neil Marshall and St Philip West’s David Estwick all got back their money.
The EBC figures show that St John – with 4 457 people of 9 339 registered voters, or 47.2 per cent – had the highest percentage of voter turnout followed by St Philip West, where 5 438 voters out of 11 537 turned out (47.1 per cent), and St Lucy, with 4 431 voters out of 9 580 (46.3 per cent) casting their ballots. (AC)
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