Pre-Crisis Phase (September 1, 1983-December 1, 1993): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis achieved its independence from the United Kingdom as a member of the British Commonwealth on September 19, 1983. Kennedy Simmonds, leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), was sworn in as the country’s first prime minister on September 19, 1983. St. Kitts & Nevis joined the Regional Security System (RSS), which consisted of member-states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Barbados. Parliamentary elections were held on July 25, 1984, and the People’s Action Movement (PAM) won six out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) won three seats in the National Assembly. On January 15, 1987, the Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM) was established on the island of Nevis. Parliamentary elections were held on March 21, 1989, and the PAP won six out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) and the NRP each won two seats in the National Assembly. Parliamentary elections were held on November 29, 1993. The PAM and SKNLP each won four seats in the National Assembly. Governor-General, Sir Clement Arrindell, asked Kennedy Simmonds of the PAM to form a minority government coalition on December 1, 1993.
Crisis Phase (December 2, 1993-July 6, 1995): On December 2, 1993, Governor-General, Sir Clement Arrindell, declared a state-of-emergency following clashes between government policemen and protesters in Basseterre. Governor-General, Sir Clement Arrindell, lifted the state-of-emergency on December 12, 1993. Vincent Morris, a son of Deputy Prime Minister Sydney Morris, and his girlfriend, Joan Walsh, disappeared on October 1, 1994. Their bodies were later found in an abandoned vehicle in a sugar cane field. Superintendent of Police, Jude Matthew, who had been investigating the disappearance of Vincent Morris and Joan Walsh, was murdered at his home in Basseterre on October 13, 1994. David Lawrence, a laborer, was arrested and charged with murdering Superintendent Jude Matthew. Two other sons of Deputy Prime Minister Sydney Morris, Dean Morris and Dave Morris, were arrested and accused of possessing illegal weapons and drugs on November 9, 1994. The brothers were released from jail on bail on November 10, 1994. The next day, some 150 prisoners set fire to and escaped from the country’s only prison in Basseterre on the island of St. Kitts. At the request of Prime Minister Kennedy Simmonds, more than 20 soldiers of the RSS commanded by Major Alvin Quintyne of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) were deployed in Basseterre to administer the prison system and to maintain law and order beginning on November 12, 1994. The RSS soldiers remained in St. Kitts & Nevis for five months. Parliamentary elections were held on July 3, 1995, and the SKNLP won seven out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The CCM won two seats in the National Assembly. The Commonwealth of Nations (CON) sent eight short-term observers and five staff members to monitor the parliamentary elections from June 25 to July 4, 1995. Denzil Douglas, leader of the SKNLP, was sworn in as prime minister on July 6, 1995.
Post-Crisis Phase (July 7, 1995-present): Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on February 24, 1997, and the CCM led by Vance Amory won three out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The NRP won two seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. For the third time on June 10, 1997, a St. Kitts & Nevis jury was unable to reach a verdict in the murder case involving David Lawrence, who had been charged with murdering Superintendent of Police Jude Matthew in October 1994. The island of Nevis conducted a referendum on independence on August 10, 1998, but the measure failed to gain the required two-thirds majority. Parliamentary elections were held on March 6, 2000, and the SKNLP won eight out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The CCM won two seats in the National Assembly. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis, and the CCM led by Vance Amory won four out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The NRP won one seat in the Nevis Island Assembly. Parliamentary elections were held on October 25, 2004, and the SKNLP won seven out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The CCM won two seats in the National Assembly. The CARICOM sent two short-term observers led by the Hon. David Thompson of Barbados to monitor the parliamentary elections on October 19-28, 2004. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on July 10, 2006, and the NRP led by Joseph Parry won three out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The CCM won two seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. Parliamentary elections were held on January 25, 2010, and the SKNLP won six out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The PAM and CCM each won two seats in the National Assembly. Government police were deployed near the capital of Basseterre on the island of St. Kitts in order to restore order following protests of voting irregularities in a district. The OAS sent 14 short-term observers from seven countries led by Steven Griner of the U.S. to monitor the parliamentary elections on January 24-26, 2010. The CARICOM sent six short-term observers led by Versil Charles-Wright of Trinidad & Tobago to monitor the parliamentary elections. The CON sent three short-term observers led by Chris Carter of New Zealand to monitor the parliamentary elections. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on July 11, 2011, and the NRP won three out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The CCM won two seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The OAS sent five short-term observers from three countries to monitor the local elections. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on January 22, 2013, and the CCM led by Vance Amory won three out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The NRP won two seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. Parliamentary elections were held on February 16, 2015, and the Team Unity coalition, including the PAM, PLP, and CCM, won seven out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The SKNLP won three seats in the National Assembly. The OAS sent 11 short-term observers from seven countries led by Amb. Frank Almaguer of the U.S. to monitor the parliamentary elections on February 12-17, 2015. The CARICOM sent two short-term observers led by Amb. Rudy Collins of Guyana to monitor the parliamentary elections on February 14-17, 2015. The CON sent two short-term observers and two staff members led by the Hon. Tuiloma Neroni Slade of Samoa to monitor the parliamentary elections. Timothy Harris, leader of the PAM, was sworn in as prime minister on February 18, 2015. On September 19, 2016, Prime Minister Timothy Harris announced that he had requested the deployment of members of the RSS to assist government police forces in dealing with crime in the country. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on December 18, 2017, and the CCM led by Mark Brantley won four out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The NRP won one seat in the Nevis Island Assembly. At the request of the government, some 35 members of the RSS were deployed in the country on October 10, 2018 in order to assist government police forces in dealing with crime. Parliamentary elections were held on June 5, 2020, and the Team Unity coalition, including the PAM, PLP, and CCM, won nine out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The SKNLP won two seats in the National Assembly. The CARICOM sent three short-term election observers led by Gasper Jean Baptiste of St. Lucia to monitor the parliamentary elections on June 3-7, 2020. Prime Minister Timothy Harris was sworn in for a second term on June 7, 2020. A motion of no confidence was filed against the government of Prime Minister Timothy Harris on April 25, 2022. As a result, Prime Minister Timothy Harris dissolved the National Assembly on May 10, 2022. Parliamentary elections were held on August 5, 2022, and the SKNLP won six out of eleven contested seats in the National Assembly. The CCM won three seats in the National Assembly. The OAS sent 11 short-term observers from nine countries led by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica to monitor the parliamentary elections from July 30 to August 6, 2022. The CARICOM sent four short-term observers and two staff members from four countries led by Sase Gunraj of Guyana to monitor the parliamentary elections on August 1-6, 2022. Terrance Drew, leader of the SKNLP, was sworn in as prime minister on August 6, 2022. Local elections were held on the island of Nevis on December 12, 2022, and the CCM led by Mark Brantley won three out of five contested seats in the Nevis Island Assembly. The NRP won two seats in the Nevis Island Assembly.
[Sources: Caribbean Community (CARICOM), October 20, 2004, October 27, 2004, February 14, 2015, February 18, 2015, June 7, 2020, August 4, 2022, August 6, 2022; Caribbean News Global, June 4, 2020, July 30, 2022; Caribbean Times, May 20, 2020, June 9, 2020, April 24, 2022, July 19, 2022, August 1, 2022, April 27, 2022, August 6, 2022, August 8, 2022, August 12, 2022, August 15, 2022; Dominica News Online, January 25, 2010; Inter Press Service (IPS), November 12, 1994, June 3, 1996, February 18, 2000; Jamaica Observer, January 25, 2010; Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1997, August 24, 1998; Nations News, July 12, 2011; New York Times, August 19, 1996, June 30, 1997; Organization of American States (OAS), February 12, 2015; South Florida Caribbean News, January 19, 2010, February 17, 2015; St. Kitts & Nevis Observer, February 5, 2010, February 26, 2010, February 13, 2015, May 1, 2015, May 8, 2015, September 20, 2016, September 21, 2016, November 1, 2016, October 14, 2018, October 24, 2018, May 18, 2020, August 1, 2022, December 12, 2022; St. Kitts Nevis Information Service (SKNIS), July 30, 2022, August 6, 2022.]
Selected Bibliography
Midgett, Douglas. 2011. “Cuckoo Politics Revisited: The Failure of the St. Kitts-Nevis Constitution,” Social and Economic Studies, vol. 60 (2), pp. 41-66.