At a Tuesday evening candidate ratification gathering, Harold Lovell, the United Progressive Party (UPP) nominee for the All Saints West constituency, publicly threw his support behind party leader Jamale Pringle and issued a urgent call for intra-party cohesion and sweeping national transformation ahead of the upcoming general election.
Addressing a room of energized UPP backers, Lovell positioned the approaching electoral contest as a defining crossroads for the nation. “We are at that point where change is necessary,” he asserted, framing the vote as a critical opportunity to shift the country’s trajectory.
The former finance minister used the high-profile event to shore up confidence in Pringle’s leadership, telling assembled attendees: “As I stand, I am happy to say that we stand behind the honorable Jamale Pringle.” His endorsement served to cement what he framed as a unified UPP bloc as the party kicks off its official general election campaign.
Lovell stressed that internal party solidarity would be the single most critical factor determining the UPP’s performance at the polls, pushing supporters to set aside past internal disagreements. “Whatever is in the past, bury the past. And whatever is in the future, let it rise,” he said. “unity is not just a slogan. Unity is our strength.”
Moving beyond internal party messaging, Lovell outlined the UPP’s core identity, casting the organization as far more than a conventional political party. “The United Progressive Party is not just a political organization. It is a movement,” he explained. “It is a movement that puts people first… a philosophy which says that the people must be the center of development.”
He pushed back against claims of growing internal rifts, telling the crowd that despite external efforts to fracture the party, UPP members have remained tightly aligned. “The enemy has tried to divide us… but I’m here tonight to tell you… we are united. We are strong. We stand together.”
Framing the election through a populist lens, Lovell argued that the outcome would be shaped by the collective will of voters, not the sitting government. “The power in the people is greater than the people in power,” he declared, drawing loud applause from the gathered crowd.
In closing, Lovell issued a direct appeal to eligible voters across the country, urging widespread participation in the electoral process. “We need your voice and we need your vote… and we’re going to make a change in this country,” he said. “There’s going to be no turning back… only going forward.”
The candidate ratification event is just one part of the UPP’s broader pre-election campaign push, as all major parties finalize their candidate slates and gear up for polling day. For the UPP, leadership unity and grassroots voter mobilization have already emerged as the central pillars of its election strategy.