Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BRIDGETOWN469
2006-03-16 13:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:  

ST. LUCIA BY-ELECTION WON BY SUSPECTED DRUG

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SNAR KCRM ST XL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0042
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0469/01 0751338
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 161338Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2114
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL
RUEHCV/USDAO CARACAS VE
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000469 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SNAR KCRM ST XL
SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA BY-ELECTION WON BY SUSPECTED DRUG
TRAFFICKER

REF: 05 BRIDGETOWN 589

Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000469

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SNAR KCRM ST XL
SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA BY-ELECTION WON BY SUSPECTED DRUG
TRAFFICKER

REF: 05 BRIDGETOWN 589

Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The by-election held March 13 to fill a
vacant seat in the St. Lucia Parliament was won by an
individual suspected of drug trafficking. Richard Frederick,
who ran for the seat as an independent, is currently under
investigation by U.S. and St. Lucia law enforcement
authorities for involvement in a trafficking operation that
uses St. Lucia as a transshipment point for Colombian
cocaine. How much is publicly known in St. Lucia about these
allegations against Frederick is unclear at this time. The
election result could boost the prospects of the opposition
United Workers Party (UWP) in upcoming national elections by
demonstrating that a candidate can defeat the
better-organized and funded ruling St. Lucia Labor Party.
Some observers have taken the fact, however, that the UWP
failed to run a candidate in the by-election as an indication
of disarray within the party. It remains to be seen whether
Richard Frederick will formally join the opposition in
Parliament or if the allegations against him will complicate
matters in the next election. End summary.

--------------
New MP a Suspected Drug Trafficker
--------------


2. (C) The winner of St. Lucia's March 13 by-election,
independent candidate Richard Frederick, is a suspected drug
trafficker who is currently under investigation by U.S. and
St. Lucia law enforcement authorities. DEA Bridgetown
reports that Frederick is believed to be involved in a
trafficking operation that uses St. Lucia as a transshipment
point for Colombian cocaine heading for the U.S. and other
destinations. According to a DEA source, the St. Lucia
police were surprised by Frederick's election victory and
believe he managed to mobilize associates that rank among the
more undesirable elements of St. Lucian society to help him
win the race. A St. Lucia newspaper editor told Poloff that

the impoverished constituency won by Frederick is full of
"bad boys" who turned out to support their candidate.

--------------
How Much is Known about Frederick?
--------------


3. (C) During the course of Frederick's brief election
campaign, neither the press nor his opponents raised
questions about alleged involvement in drug trafficking,
indicating that little may be known about this issue outside
of law enforcement circles. Only one media outlet, the
Cayman Island based Caribbean Net News, included any mention
of Frederick's suspected illegal acitivies in its reporting.
The St. Lucian press, however, failed to raise the issue at
all. Neither did Frederick's main opponent in the election,
former Attorney General Victor La Corbiniere, who asked only
why Frederick did not address law and order issues such as
drugs, illegal weapons, and money laundering during the
campaign. One source told Poloff that nothing more than
rumors are known about Frederick's supposed illegal
activities, which no one dares publish or speak about
publicly for fear of a libel suit.

--------------
An Election Full of Surprises
--------------


4. (U) The March 13 by-election held to fill an empty seat in
the St. Lucia Parliament was full of surprises, not the least
of which was the victory of an independent candidate. The
by-election was precipitated by the January resignation from
Parliament of Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, who represented a small
third party, the Organization for National Empowerment (ONE).
The MP claimed to have resigned to protest unfair treatment
of her party, but observers believe she hoped to force Prime
Minister Kenny Anthony to call an early national election.
The PM declined to take the bait and instead called a
by-election to fill the empty seat that represents the
central district of Castries, the St. Lucian capital.
Anthony's ruling St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP) proceeded to
choose as its candidate Attorney General Victor La
Corbiniere, who resigned from his position in Government to
campaign for the vacant seat.


5. (U) Note: Elections are not constitutionally due in St.
Lucia until early 2007. However, as a condition of hosting

the Cricket World Cup in March 2007, St. Lucia, like other
Caribbean nations, agreed to a moratorium on elections during
the six months both before and after the sporting event.
This means that St. Lucia is likely to hold national
elections by September 2006. End note.

--------------
Opposition Declines to Contest Election
--------------


6. (U) The opposition United Workers Party initially intended
to run as its candidate in the by-election former Prime
Minister Vaughn Lewis, who dropped out of the race and
announced he would exit electoral politics after he was
criticized by party members as being a poor candidate. The
UWP ultimately chose not to contest the by-election and
instead criticized PM Anthony for subjecting St. Lucia to a
costly race for a single parliamentary seat rather than call
national elections. Observers speculated that the
opposition, failing to find a suitable candidate for the
by-election, opted to sit out the race rather than lose a
seat that had traditionally been a UWP stronghold. Such an
outcome would have made the party look particularly weak just
as former PM John Compton, who came out of retirement in 2005
to take over the troubled organization, was preparing the
opposition for the next elections (reftel).

--------------
Independent Enters the Race
--------------


7. (U) With just two weeks to go before the March 13
by-election, Richard Frederick announced that he would run as
an independent candidate. The media reported that UWP
members had pressed party leader John Compton to dub
Frederick its official candidate, but Compton declined to do
so. After Frederick's independent candidacy became official,
there was speculation that he was in reality a stalking horse
for the UWP, which could take credit if Frederick won the
race but would not look like a loser if he lost to the ruling
party's candidate.

--------------
Short Campaign and Low Voter Turnout
--------------


8. (U) Although the campaign leading up to the by-election
was brief, the race dominated the St. Lucia media. This
attention failed, however, to invigorate the public and the
March 13 poll saw a turnout of only 34 percent of registered
voters. According to initial results, independent Richard
Frederick won with 1,516 votes (47.7 percent) to 1,267 (39.6
percent) for SLP candidate Victor La Corbiniere. Third party
candidate Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, who, in a strange twist,
opted to run for the seat she had just resigned from, took
415 votes (13 percent). As a result of the election, the
lineup of the 17-seat St. Lucia Parliament has remained
unchanged with the SLP holding 14 seats to only 1 for the
opposition UWP and 2 independent MPs.

--------------
Good or Bad News for the Opposition?
--------------


9. (U) The victory of an independent candidate may be a mixed
blessing for the opposition. While the UWP did not formally
win the race, victorious independent candidate Richard
Frederick is a UWP member, a fact that was highlighted during
the brief election campaign. Some observers have taken his
winning over SLP candidate Victor La Corbiniere as a
repudiation of the ruling party. This may buoy the
opposition as it prepares for elections later this year. The
fact, however, that the UWP failed to field a candidate in a
constituency that was traditionally a stronghold of the party
has been seen by some as an indication of continued
organizational problems that the party will not be able to
correct before national elections are held. Such a result
would consign the UWP to three straight election defeats.

--------------
What Happens Next?
--------------


10. (C) Comment: How the election to Parliament of a
suspected drug trafficker will play out in St. Lucia remains
to be seen, as it is unclear at this time how widely known
are the allegations against Richard Frederick. If opposition

leader John Compton knew about the charges of criminal
activity, this may explain why he refused to anoint Frederick
as the UWP's candidate in the by-election. The fact that the
press failed to raise serious questions about Frederick
suggests, however, that either the allegations against him
are not well known or that St. Lucians may prefer to simply
look the other way. From a law enforcement perspective,
Richard Frederick's elevation to Parliamentarian could make
the investigation into his suspected activities more
difficult to pursue. Post will continue to report on the
various aspects of this situation as they develop.


11. (C) An additional element of the St. Lucia by-election is
the impact the result may have on the signing of an Article
98 Agreement. Former Attorney General Victor La Corbiniere
was the USG's main point of contact on this issue within the
Government of St. Lucia. PM Anthony could re-appoint him as
AG, but considering the various delays already encountered in
negotiating an Article 98 Agreement it is likely that the
election shakeup will be a further impediment to concluding
an agreement. End comment.
KRAMER