Meade defeated in Montserrat election

(CNS): Following an election in one of the UK’s smallest overseas territories, the incumbent premier Reuben T Meade, leader of the Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP), has been ousted from office. Meade has conceded defeat to the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDM), Donaldson Romeo, and congratulated him on a “well fought battle”, according to regional media reports. Speaking on the island's radio station Friday morning, Romeo said he was looking at a “convincing victory” for the party and appealed for a united Montserrat as the new government takes over the task of rebuilding the island, which was battered by a volcano some 17 years ago. Romeo said that there was nothing set out in the campaign manifesto that his party could not achieve.

Located in the Leeward Islands and part of the Lesser Antilles, Montserrat is less than ten miles long and seven miles wide. There are less than 4,000 eligible voters who vote for a national slate with nine votes.

Meade, who is the father of Ben Meade, CITN’s news director here in Cayman, said it had been an interesting election campaign as he congratulated the PDM.

As well as representatives from the two parties, there were 13 independents among the 31 candidates who ran for office. The election was observed by a four-member team from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).