Six months ago, following a disappointing defeat in the most recent general election, Allen Chastanet, leader of Saint Lucia’s United Workers Party (UWP), announced the party would launch a comprehensive internal performance review, with the entire process expected to wrap up within half a year. As that deadline draws near, the review is still ongoing, and the party has not yet announced a firm date for its leadership convention, leaving supporters waiting for clarity on the opposition party’s future direction. Critics have suggested the extended timeline is a sign of internal stagnation, but Chastanet pushed back against that narrative during a press briefing held Tuesday, insisting that meaningful work is advancing behind closed doors. The core sticking point that has slowed progress, he explained, is a fundamental strategic debate dividing party stakeholders: should the UWP first resolve the structural and operational weaknesses uncovered by the internal review, or hold its long-awaited convention first and roll out reforms after new leadership is confirmed? During the briefing, Chastanet openly acknowledged that the party’s internal structures have clear flaws that demand attention. “There are clearly things within the party that we need to look at,” he told reporters from the St. Lucia Times, adding that meaningful organizational change requires widespread consensus from party members to succeed. “You need to get buy-in to what that change is going to be. And that’s what the party’s process is right now. Change within any organisation can be difficult.” When Chastanet first announced the review back in March, he explicitly stated that the convention would ultimately formalize the party’s leadership going forward, a comment that fueled speculation about potential challenges to his position. Today, the UWP leader does not shy away from the open questions about his leadership, calling the scrutiny entirely reasonable. “There’s significant questions about my leadership. And that’s fair. That’s a fair question,” he said. He added that lingering uncertainty around the top party position has created a drag on reform efforts, with many members hesitant to fully commit to organizational overhauls while the leadership question remains unresolved. In the coming weeks, a series of high-stakes closed-door meetings will be held to settle the debate over the convention and review timeline. “There will be a couple of critical meetings coming up to make a determination. Do we go and have a convention earlier and have a staged process to the changes we think that the party thinks needs to be taking place? Or do we make the changes and go to the convention afterwards?” Chastanet explained, noting that a final decision on the path forward is expected within the next few weeks. Chastanet rejected claims the party has been inactive during this period of internal deliberation, noting that party leadership has remained actively engaged in planning and stakeholder outreach. “I think it’s unfair to say that the party’s doing nothing. The party is extremely active,” he said. That said, he did concede that he wants to see more engagement and organizing work at the local grassroots level across the island. Despite the current internal challenges and the post-defeat slump in public confidence, Chastanet stressed that the UWP remains a robust, competitive political force. He did, however, acknowledge that the party has significant work ahead to rebuild trust with voters after its general election loss. “I will accept that we have to do more to build up people’s confidence in the party,” he said. “And that is why this part of the process is so important that you get it right.”
UWP convention still up in the air as Chastanet faces leadership questions
