Survey shows bad results for incumbent ULP – Frederick

There is every indication that the ruling Unity Labour Party’s own poll shows that it is losing the general elections, that is why it has refused to release the results of the one recently conducted by the Barbados-based CADRES.

This is according to Vynnette Frederick, the public relations officer (PRO) of the New Democratic Party.{{more}} Frederick said that their own findings show that the people are fed up with 14 years of the Ralph Gonsalves administration and they are ready to opt for the policy platform of the NDP.

“The Prime Minister has failed to name the date of the elections because he is trying to hold on and fight against the inevitable. It is an extreme indication of weakness on their part that we don’t have a date yet,” she said.

Gonsalves has indicated that the vote could come by mid-December at the very end of the five-year cycle.

The Vincentian Prime Minister could technically delay it until March, since under the constitution he can seek a 90-day extension.

Peter Wickham, the Barbadian pollster who conducted the survey said that he was not at liberty to discuss the findings, but in his view the elections are going to be “a tight race.”

“It is significant that Wickham could not say that the ULP could win the election, even though he has conducted the polling for them and has the findings,” Frederick, who is also a senator, noted.

“We know if the findings had shown that the ULP was winning, they were going to be quick to release it,” she said.

“That is for internal consumption,” ULP’s general secretary told a local website, refusing to talk on the findings.

“What we now have is a Government in hiding. They are hiding from the people’s vote.” Frederick declared.

“The amazing thing about this democracy is that there will come a time when the time will run out, and the Government must call the election. So, we all looking forward to a Christmas of change,” she said.

The NDP narrowly lost the last general elections, seven seats to the ULP’s eight seats.

“ULP has tenuously held on to power for the last five years with their one-seat majority. But we are confident where we are at the moment. Some of our findings show that we are gaining at least four more seats in addition to the seven we already have, and the campaign has not even really kicked off as yet,” she said.