by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—The political landscape in St. Kitts and Nevis is shifting gears as major political parties aggressively mobilise and field candidates.
While the official general election date is not constitutionally mandated until 2027, high-stakes campaigning and structural party transformations indicate election season is fast approaching.
The People’s Action Movement (PAM) is navigating internal shifts and structural evaluations following public scrutiny over coordinated actions.
Deputy Party Leader Azard Gumbs indicated that despite the internal restructuring, the Party is active in the community.
“Well, firstly, we have a number of walkthroughs slated. We have candidates who continue to canvass. For me, I canvass in my constituency very, very often. It is not everything that I would post on social media, because I believe that this election is about creating connections, creating relationships. And so I have been daily on the road speaking to persons in my constituency, engaging, listening to those individuals. And other candidates have been doing the same thing, because we have to ensure that we know what the people want. It is not just about what the People’s Action Movement thinks. It is about what the people of St. Kitts and Nevis would want from their next government, their next administration. And so even the election of a political leader is a step towards ensuring that we are ready and prepared for the next general election. We are doing things that are people-focused and people-orientated.”
Gumbs made those statements on WINN’s ‘Island Tea’ on August 18, 2026.
Acting Chairperson of PAM, Carlene Henry-Morton, expressed that the Party has a proven track record.
“We want, as PAM, to get people to understand. The candidates alone, they don’t have to canvass alone. All of us have it within ourselves to canvass, to promote our party, to speak to our neighbour, to speak to our relatives, to speak to our friends, and to get people to understand that PAM is a party with over 60 years of service to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. That PAM is not a fly-by-night, Johnny-come-lately type of experiment that we have proven ourselves with all of the accomplishments between 1980 and 1993. And again, PAM was in the mix between 2015 and 2022, when we had all of those major accomplishments in tourism. Up to now, nobody has hit the one point, whatever it is, million mark in cruise tourism arrivals. Fighting, struggling, can’t get it done. And that was two years in a row? Two years in a row, 2018 and 2019. Before COVID? Yes. And we were on track to do it, except that, you know, COVID. COVID came in and intervened, right? So the infrastructure, PAM, I think in 2020, entire road resurfacing, main road resurfacing exercise, 69 point something million dollars. I mean, you go back, so we could talk about as recently as 2015 to 2022, but if you go back and you look at the accomplishments under Dr Simmons, you know, in that era, school meals programme, best childhood education in the region. Up to now, people are still copying what we were able to introduce. Self, you know, those programmes.”
The Deputy Party Leader shared some areas of focus for a PAM-led government without going into details.
“The People’s Action Movement is the party that always stands up for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and puts plans forward to address the concerns of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. There are a number of plans that we have. When we look at renewable energy, when we look at agriculture, when we look at tourism, tourism thrived best under the People’s Action Movement. And we served in the period of 2015 to 2020. In 2019, over a million cruise passengers. 18 and 19. 18 and 19. And that shows the People’s Action Movement as the best party to deliver for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
To establish its new baseline direction, PAM scheduled an election for its new party leadership and its slate of candidates at the upcoming convention.
“We are making ourselves ready. And the convention is going to be September 27, 2026. And we are making the necessary preparations to ensure that we present to the people the candidates, those persons who would serve them best. And to put the People’s Action Movement to the people. We have had the opportunity of being one of the first who’ve had conventions. And persons come after us when it comes to convention. This is among the first times that we are going last. But we’re ensuring that when we do so, that we do so at our best position possible.”
At the convention will be Jamaica’s Minister of State, Hon. Alando Terrelonge. Henry-Morton shared some details on the featured speaker.
“He’s a lawyer by training. But he’s now a minister of government in the Jamaica Labour Party. His portfolio is, let me make sure I’m right. He is now the minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade in the Jamaica Labour Party. He has been acting in that capacity since 2023. But what struck me about him is that there was a historic win, that in 36 years, he was the first member of the Jamaica Labour Party to win a seat in Portmore in over 36 years. He’s very serious about youth, about sport, about education. And he refers to the young people of Jamaica as the kings and queens of that nation. And his message has constantly been to them: focus on your education. Focus on getting yourself trained and prepared to make sure you can make a contribution in the world. You can be self-sufficient. You can make sure you can look after your family. And you can meet whatever commitments in life that you have to meet. Because he tells them, education is one of the only things in your life that nobody can take away from you. And I think that he’s going to bring a very solid and sound message. He’s going to bring that excitement. He’s going to bring those nuggets of wisdom that he has been sharing with the people of Portmore and of St. Catharine and of Jamaica and so on. And so I am excited to hear from him.”
Other parties have also started robust campaigning.
The People’s Labour Party (PLP), led by former Prime Minister Hon. Dr Timothy Harris, gained some momentum following the Party’s national caucus and convention at Newtown Paddock.
The PLP officially launched a full-scale general election campaign and is actively executing aggressive community walk-throughs and household outreach.
A slate of candidates was unveiled:
- Constituency 1 (East Basseterre) – Calvin Alexander Pemberton (Architect and former Director of Public Works);
- Constituency 2 (Central Basseterre) – Dameon Lawrence (Hospitality professional and PLP Deputy Leader);
- Constituency 3 (West Basseterre) – Troy “Spuddy” Hendrickson (Tourism entrepreneur);
- Constituency 4 (Stone Fort and Challengers) – Delonte Lewis;
- Constituency 5 (Sandy Point/Fig Tree) – Patricia Isles-Caesar;
- Constituency 7 (Ottley’s/Molineux) – Dr. Timothy Harris (PLP Political Leader);
- and Constituency 8 (Cayon/St. Peter’s) – Claudine Saunders.
The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), led by Prime Minister Hon. Dr Terrance Drew, continues to anchor its platform around national transformations, the Sustainable Island State agenda, and forthcoming national budgetary allocations.
Political slates will ultimately square off for the majority of the 11 seats that comprise the Federation’s National Assembly.
