1970 Montserratian general election

General elections were held in Montserrat on 15 December 1970.[1] The result was a victory for the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), which won all seven seats in the Legislative Council, whilst the Montserrat Labour Party (MLP), which had won every election since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1951, lost all four of its seats. PDP leader Percival Austin Bramble became Chief Minister, replacing his father and MLP leader, William Henry Bramble.[1]

Politics of Montserrat

Background

Universal suffrage was introduced in Montserrat in 1951,[2] and the first elections under it were held the following year, with the MLP winning all five seats.[3] The MLP went on to win elections in 1955, 1958, 1961 and 1966. Party leader William Henry Bramble became Chief Minister in 1960 when the new constitution introduced the ministerial system of government.[4]

Campaign

A total of 16 candidates contested the elections; both the PDP and MLP nominated candidates for all seven seats, with two independents also running.[1]

The elections were the first occasion on which the MLP faced serious opposition.[5] PDP leader Percival Austin Bramble had previously been a member of the MLP and was elected to the Legislative Council as an MLP candidate in the 1966 elections.[6] However, he subsequently broke away to form the PDP as a result of controversy over the number of holiday and retirement homes being built on the island.[5]

Results
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Progressive Democratic Party2,51564.457New
Montserrat Labour Party1,18330.320–4
Independents2045.230–1
Total3,902100.0070
Valid votes3,90296.97
Invalid/blank votes1223.03
Total votes4,024100.00
Registered voters/turnout5,03080.00
Source: Caribbean Elections

Elected MPs
Constituency Elected MP Party
CentralE DyerProgressive Democratic Party
EasternW H RyanProgressive Democratic Party
North-WesternJohn OsborneProgressive Democratic Party
NorthernJ J WeekesProgressive Democratic Party
PlymouthPercival Austin BrambleProgressive Democratic Party
SouthernMary Rose TuittProgressive Democratic Party
WindwardJ S DublinProgressive Democratic Party

Aftermath

Following the elections, Percival Austin Bramble formed a government, including the appointment of John Osborne as Minister of Agriculture.[7]

References
  1. General Election Results - 15 December 1970 Caribbean Elections
  2. Past Election Results 1952 - 2009 Caribbean Elections
  3. General Election Results - 20 February 1952 Caribbean Elections
  4. General Election Results - 2 March 1961 Archived 5 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Caribbean Elections
  5. Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies, Greenwood Publishing Group, p144
  6. Howard A Fergus (1996) Gallery Montserrat: Some Prominent People in Our History, Canoe Press, p124
  7. Robert Jackson Alexander (1997) Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Governors of the English-speaking Caribbean and Puerto Rico: Conversations and Correspondence, Greenwood Publishing Group, p107
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