By Robert Andre Emmanuel

The Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the United Progressive Party (UPP) continue to accelerate their campaigns as the date for the St Peter by-election draws closer.

Over the weekend, both parties engaged in constituency mobilization efforts, with the ABLP’s Rawdon Turner conducting walkthroughs in Parham Town on Saturday.

During the exercise, Turner emphasized his local roots, notably stopping at his grandmother’s former residence, where he underscored his deep connections to the community as a “proud Parham man” — a narrative that appears central to his campaign strategy of reconnecting the constituency with the Labour Party.

Turner’s campaign has also leaned heavily into his 2023 constituency manifesto — released over the weekend – which has been updated for the 2025 by-election to appeal to voters.

His 28-page policy document “Together with Turner” presented a development agenda centred on three strategic pillars: infrastructure modernization, economic revitalization, and community development.

While the manifesto outlines proposals including business hubs and marina development in Parham, it also emphasized immediate community concerns such as healthcare accessibility and youth employment.

Attempts to reach Turner for further comments regarding his campaign and upcoming rally on Thursday were unsuccessful up to press time.

Meanwhile, the UPP has centred its campaign on the lack of prior investment in the constituency by the ABLP, noting its longstanding, more-than-half-a-century representation of the constituency, with the late MP Asot Michael serving for two decades from 2004 to 2024.

The ABLP lost the seat for the first time during the 2023 elections with over 2,100 voters supporting former MP Michael as an Independent candidate.

The UPP candidate George Wehner reported significant engagement across St Peter, having conducted extensive mobilization efforts throughout Parham Town, Pares Village, and Gunthorpes.

“The reception has been good,” Wehner disclosed in an interview with Observer media. “They’re very candid … some tell me upfront they are Labour supporters [and] while they wish me well when I solicit their vote, they say they’re not voting for me. However, significantly, they also express their intention to abstain from voting entirely.”

Wehner attributed this voter sentiment to broader voter dissatisfaction, particularly regarding infrastructure and service delivery.

“When we go house to house, the cry is the poor infrastructure, the lack of healthcare services. The lack of water is still an issue,” he claimed.

The UPP candidate has also raised concerns about the quality of ongoing infrastructure works, particularly in Pares.

“Rawdon Turner had the ears of Prime Minister [Gaston] Browne and has been in the party as a high-ranking official in the party.

“The Prime Minister himself said they invested heavily in Turner, but he has shown over the years that he could not influence Prime Minister Browne [nor] Minister of Works Maria Browne into conducting any infrastructure work in the constituency.

“You’ll be surprised to see even some of the road network in Parham itself, even if he doesn’t venture anywhere else throughout the constituency, [has] been left neglected for years,” Wehner said.

Wehner said that yesterday, during canvassing efforts in Pares, “they’re just grading, pushing back the wild tamarind and grading the raw dirt.

“No subbase preparation for a road network, no rolling, no compaction and they are just pouring concrete on the raw dirt,” Wehner alleged, questioning whether such practices would be acceptable in more affluent constituencies.

As both sides make their case to the St Peter electorate, voter turnout will be key for both sides with Turner hoping that the ABLP’s history in the constituency could move many of the late MP’s supporters to support him.