• Source: 1974 Vincentian general election

General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 9 December 1974. The result was a victory for the Saint Vincent Labour Party, which won ten of the 13 seats. Voter turnout was 63.2%.




Background


After the 1972 elections, the People's Political Party (PPP) and the Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) both won six seats. The People's Political Party (PPP) managed to form a government with the support of the remaining MP James Mitchell, who won reelection as an independent after resigning from the SVLP. The "Alliance Government" was formed with Mitchell as Premier and PPP leader Ebenezer Joshua as Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance.
On 18 September 1974, the House of Assembly passed a motion of no confidence; Ebenezer and Ivy Joshua had just resigned from the government due to policy disagreements with Mitchell. The Assembly was then dissolved on 23 September 1974. Nomination day was 18 November 1974.




Candidates


A total of 31 candidates were nominated by five different political parties. Out of the parties in the Assembly, the SVLP had the largest contingent with eleven candidates. Mitchell and PPP minister Othniel Sylvester founded a splinter party and nominated eleven candidates, while the PPP nominated only three candidates.
In addition, two new political parties contested the elections. The Democratic Freedom Movement was founded by Kenneth John to advocate for political reforms such as recall elections, term limits, and campaign financing regulation; it nominated two candidates. The West Indies National Party was led by George Hamilton Charles, founder of the Eighth Army of Liberation and former Majority Leader of the Legislative Council (1951–1957); the party nominated four candidates (including Charles).




Results


The SVLP won a decisive victory with ten seats, giving party leader Milton Cato his second term as Premier. Mitchell was the only successful candidate from his new party, and the Joshuas were the only successful PPP candidates. While Ebenezer Joshua joined the government as Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Ivy Joshua decided to remain in opposition rather than support a coalition with the SVLP. She then became Leader of the Opposition instead of Mitchell. In 1957, Ebenezer and Ivy had become the first married couple to be elected to a parliament of the British West Indies; now they became the first couple to serve on opposite benches.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• 1974 Vincentian general election
• 1979 Vincentian general election
• James Fitz-Allen Mitchell
• Milton Cato
• Ralph Gonsalves
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Vincentian Studies Institute
• Dominant-party system
• Kenneth John
• Denis (given name)