1979 Nevis Local Council election

1979 Nevis Local Council election

December 1979[1]

All 9 elected seats on the Nevis Local Council
  First party
 
Leader Simeon Daniel
Party NRP
Last election 9 seats
Seats won 9
Seat change

Chairman of the Local Council before election

Simeon Daniel
Nevis Reformation Party

Chairman of
the Local Council after election

Simeon Daniel
Nevis Reformation Party

An election was held for the Nevis Local Council in December 1979. The Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) retained control of the council after again winning all nine seats.

Background

The previous council election in 1975 saw the NRP win all nine seats in an uncontested election, with no other parties standing.[2] Continued calls from the NRP and Nevisians for Nevis' secession from Saint Kitts led to an unofficial referendum being held on the issue in 1977, with the 99.7% vote in favour of secession being unrecognised and rejected by the central government.[3] In the 1979 local council election, the Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Labour Party stood candidates against the NRP, which was the only time Labour ever directly contested a local election in Nevis.[4]

Election result

The result was a landslide for the NRP, who won all nine seats and strongly defeated Labour,[2] with Labour winning just 300 votes and no seats.[1] Voter turnout was 65.7%.[4] NRP leader Simeon Daniel continued to serve as Chairman of the Local Council until 1980.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Nevis Reformation Party wins 9 seats". Star (Roseau, Dominica). 7 December 1979. Retrieved 21 February 2026 – via Digital Library of the Caribbean.
  2. ^ a b "The Labour legacy". Saint Kitts and Nevis Observer. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  3. ^ Midgett, Douglas (1 January 2004). "Pepper and bones: the secessionist impulse in Nevis". New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids. Retrieved 21 February 2026 – via brill.com.
  4. ^ a b "From the supervisor of elections". Saint Kitts and Nevis Observer. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. ^ "The Right Excellent Dr Simeon Daniel". Nevis Pages. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2026.