UWP fake news, lies failed – Anthony Astaphan

Anthony Astaphan, senior counsel and main lawyer for the Dominica Labour Party administration has described the results of Dominica’s December 6 General Elections as extraordinary and historic.

And he said that it should “teach the purveyors of fake news and lies a lesson about politics in the Caribbean”.

The Dominica Labour Party (DLP) was elected to serve its fifth term in office last Friday, having won in 17 of the 21 constituencies. The United Workers Party (UWP) won four seats.

“…I’m silently the happiest son of a gun in the Caribbean right now because I put my reputation and life on the line for my country and we succeeded and I fought back the fake news experts … and others who were carrying the lies of Lennox Linton across the Caribbean and the world,” Astaphan said on the WE FM programme, ‘Issue at Hand’ on December 8.

The senior counsel said that Linton, the leader of the UWP and his party attempted to undermine the country’s electoral process and his attempts have failed miserably.

Astaphan said that the opposition party instigated the violence that took place in an attempt to intimidate people from voting.

He further stated that what was happening in Dominica was “not properly and fully reported in the regional media”.

“…almost 60 per cent of the popular vote. That’s a lesson to people in the OECS that you cannot continue to savage a Prime Minister and a country and its people with fake news and nastiness and Facebook and social media and continuously threaten the stability of the country and peoples lives and livelihood and expect to get away with it,” the lawyer said.

Astaphan also noted that the DLP was able to win in two constituencies that were opposition strongholds since the 1970s.

“The man (Linton) lost two or three of the major seats they have held for a while, they lost the popular vote and he’s coming up with every solitary excuse for his own incompetence, ignorance and irresponsibility,” the senior counsel said.

Linton, in a Facebook live broadcast one day after the elections, said that the elections were neither free nor fair and that the election was in fact stolen by the DLP. He also said that his party will not recognise the government as being legitimate.

But Astaphan noted that all of the observer missions who were present in Dominica, including missions from the Organisation of American States (OAS), Commonwealth, CARICOM and Latin America, said that the election was free and fair and reflected the will of the people.

The Dominica Labour Party (DLP) was elected to serve its fifth term in office last Friday, having won in 17 of the 21 constituencies. The United Workers Party (UWP) won four seats.

“…I’m silently the happiest son of a gun in the Caribbean right now because I put my reputation and life on the line for my country and we succeeded and I fought back the fake news experts … and others who were carrying the lies of Lennox Linton across the Caribbean and the world,” Astaphan said on the WE FM programme, ‘Issue at Hand’ on December 8.

The senior counsel said that Linton, the leader of the UWP and his party attempted to undermine the country’s electoral process and his attempts have failed miserably.

Astaphan said that the opposition party instigated the violence that took place in an attempt to intimidate people from voting.

He further stated that what was happening in Dominica was “not properly and fully reported in the regional media”.

“…almost 60 per cent of the popular vote. That’s a lesson to people in the OECS that you cannot continue to savage a Prime Minister and a country and its people with fake news and nastiness and Facebook and social media and continuously threaten the stability of the country and peoples lives and livelihood and expect to get away with it,” the lawyer said.

Astaphan also noted that the DLP was able to win in two constituencies that were opposition strongholds since the 1970s.

“The man (Linton) lost two or three of the major seats they have held for a while, they lost the popular vote and he’s coming up with every solitary excuse for his own incompetence, ignorance and irresponsibility,” the senior counsel said.

Linton, in a Facebook live broadcast one day after the elections, said that the elections were neither free nor fair and that the election was in fact stolen by the DLP. He also said that his party will not recognise the government as being legitimate.

But Astaphan noted that all of the observer missions who were present in Dominica, including missions from the Organisation of American States (OAS), Commonwealth, CARICOM and Latin America, said that the election was free and fair and reflected the will of the people.