1979 Vincentian general election

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1979 Vincentian general election
← 1974 5 December 1979 1984 →
13 seats in the House of Assembly
7 seats needed for a majority
Turnout63.9% (Increase 0.7%)
  First party Second party
 
Leader Milton Cato James Mitchell
Party SVLP New Democratic
Leader's seat West St. George Grenadines
Last election 69.0%, 10 seats –
Seats won 11 2
Seat change Increase 1 New
Popular vote 17,876 9,022
Percentage 54.2% 27.4%
Swing Decrease 14.8% New
1979 SVG General Election.svg
Results by constituency
Prime Minister before election

Office created

 Elected Prime Minister

Milton Cato
SVLP

General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 5 December 1979.[1] The result was a victory for the Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP), which won eleven of the thirteen seats. Voter turnout was 63.9%.[2]

Campaign[]

Fifty candidates contested the 13 seats from four parties. The SVLP led by Milton Cato, Prime Minister since 1974; the People's Political Party (PPP), the SVLP's traditional rival, headed by Ebenezer Joshua; the New Democratic Party, led by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell; and the United People's Movement of Ralph Gonsalves, which contested elections for the first time. All four groups presented a similar manifesto but ideologically the United People's Movement was oriented to the left much as the political groups which had recently come to power in Grenada and Saint Lucia. The SVLP (considered a moderate socialist party), the centrist New Democratic Party and the People's Political Party were oriented to the right.[3]

Results[]

On polling day, the SVLP obtained a clear victory as it captured 11 of the 13 seats. The other two seats went to New Democratic Party candidates although the NDP leader, James Mitchell, was himself defeated. Voter turnout was 63.9%, up only slightly from 63.2% in 1974.

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Saint Vincent Labour Party17,87654.2411+1
New Democratic Party9,02227.382New
United People's Movement4,46713.550New
People's Political Party1,4924.530–2
Independents980.300New
Total32,955100.00130
Valid votes32,95599.04
Invalid/blank votes3210.96
Total votes33,276100.00
Registered voters/turnout52,07363.90
Source: Nohlen

By constituency[]

Constituency Registered
voters 		Party Votes
SVLP NDP UPM PPP Independents Valid Invalid Total Turnout
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
North Windward 2,943 718 35.5 566 28.0 268 13.3 362 17.9 98 4.9 2,012 8 2,020 68.6
North Central Windward 4,582 1,725 56.1 633 20.6 582 18.9 115 3.7 – – 3,055 19 3,074 67.1
South Central Windward 3,569 1,006 44.1 658 28.8 383 16.8 226 9.9 – – 2,273 10 2,283 64.0
South Windward 3,475 1,391 59.5 611 26.1 305 13.0 – – – – 2,307 32 2,339 67.3
Marriaqua 3,527 1,807 82.1 229 10.4 135 6.1 12 0.5 – – 2,183 18 2,201 62.4
East St. George 4,350 1,962 74.0 416 15.7 237 8.9 15 0.6 – – 2,630 22 2,652 61.0
West St. George 4,815 1,608 55.7 322 11.2 419 14.5 510 17.7 – – 2,859 26 2,885 59.9
East Kingstown 4,425 1,369 56.3 478 19.7 468 19.3 81 3.3 – – 2,396 34 2,430 54.9
West Kingstown 4,404 1,586 63.4 514 20.5 379 15.1 – – – – 2,479 24 2,503 56.8
South Leeward 4,740 1,678 51.6 989 30.4 491 15.1 28 0.9 – – 3,186 63 3,249 68.5
Central Leeward 3,160 1,360 60.6 291 13.0 553 24.7 22 1.0 – – 2,226 17 2,243 71.0
North Leeward 4,253 1,384 44.5 1,448 46.6 247 7.9 15 0.5 – – 3,094 16 3,110 73.1
Grenadines 3,830 282 12.3 1,867 81.6 – – 106 4.6 – – 2,255 32 2,287 59.7
Total 52,073 17,876 54.2 9,022 27.4 4,467 13.6 1,492 4.5 98 0.3 32,955 321 33,276 63.9

Seats, of total, by party

  SVLP (84.6%)
  NDP (15.6%)

Votes, of total, by party

  SVLP (54.2%)
  NDP (27.4%)
  PPP (4.5%)
  UPM (13.6%)
  Independents (0.3%)

References[]

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p600 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Nohlen, p603
  3. ^ "General Election Results - 5 December 1979". Caribbean Elections. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
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