Home Affairs and National Security Minister Hermangild Francis is not satisfied with being a Senator. He wants to be an elected member of Saint Lucia’s parliament. He made this clear this week by announcing his readiness to battle former Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony for the Vieux Fort South parliamentary seat.
This is not the first time Francis has shown a readiness to put on boots to enter the trenches of elective politics. The constituency of Anse La Raye/Canaries was first looked at by him when he was a member of the Saint Lucia Labour Party and as a member of the United Workers Party.
On both occasions someone else got the nod leaving Francis to play the role of team member, a role he played as a member of the United Workers Party in the last general elections which landed him in the position he occupies today.
With the United Workers Party having won the Anse La Raye/Canaries seat in the last general elections under the now Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee, Francis’ hope to represent that constituency has been dashed, but not his hope to be an elected member of parliament.
Hence the throwing of his political hat in the Vieux Fort South constituency to do battle with the Saint Lucia Labour Party candidate for that parliamentary seat, Dr Kenny Anthony, former prime minister of Saint Lucia, and one who has been representing that constituency for over 20 years.
But there is a small obstacle Francis will have to overcome first, and that obstacle is a runoff, something Francis is very familiar with. Someone else also wants to represent that constituency under the United Workers Party banner.
But Francis is not daunted. He understands that a process of selection must first take place, however that did not prevent him from informing the United Workers Party and its southern constituency branch of his interest as a candidate for the seat.
Speaking to this reporter, Francis opined that he stands a good chance of wrestling the seat from Anthony, after all, he was born in the constituency and served there as the police officer in charge of the southern part of the island at some time in his career as a police officer.
But he quickly informs that should the runoff or whatever selection process is used choose the other person, he will accept and as a team player assist that person in dislodging Anthony from that seat.
Supporters of Francis as a candidate have been using social media to trumpet Francis for Vieux Fort South, a situation that has forced the party’s General Secretary to issue a statement explaining that the party has not yet announced a candidate for that seat.
“The duly constituted Executive of the United Workers Party, Vieux Fort South Constituency Branch, takes this opportunity to totally disassociate the branch from the pronouncements being made in the media and elsewhere that a candidate has been chosen to contest the Vieux Fort South seat on behalf of the UWP for the upcoming general elections,” the statement read in part.
It also noted that “to date there has been no endorsed candidate” and that “the Party and the Constituency Branch has in place recognized rules and regulations guiding the Selection of Candidates which must be adhered to.”
“We therefore call on all wishing to represent the constituency of Vieux Fort South on behalf of the UWP to respect the authority of the duly elected Executive of the Vieux Fort South Constituency Branch,” ended the statement.
