Stephenson King

Infobox Prime Minister
name = Stephenson King


order = Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
monarch = Elizabeth II
governor_general = Pearlette Louisy
term_start = 01 May 2007
Acting until 09 September 2007
term_end =
predecessor = John Compton
successor =
birth_date =
birth_place = Castries, Saint Lucia
party = UWP
spouse =
religion = Roman Catholic
constituency = Castries North

Stephenson King is a Saint Lucian politician who is currently the country's Prime Minister. He represents the constituency of Castries North for the United Workers Party (UWP) in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. [ [http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/govfolks/members_of_the_house_of_assembly.htm List of members of the House of Assembly] .]

King served in the government under Prime Minister John Compton in the 1990s as Minister of Health and Local Government. ["May 1992 - New Cabinet", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 38, May, 1992 St Lucia, Page 38905.]

King, as the Chairman of the UWP, ["St Lucia opposition party confident of victory", Caribbean Media Corporation (nl.newsbank.com), November 21, 2006.] won the seat from Castries North in the general election held on 11 December 2006. The UWP won a majority of seats in this election, and a new government under Compton was sworn in on 19 December 2006, including King as Minister for Health and Labour Relations. [Anselma Aimable, [http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000048/004841.htm "St Lucia swears in new government ministers"] , Caribbean Net News, December 20, 2006.] After Compton fell ill in May 2007, King became Acting Prime Minister. In a cabinet reshuffle in early June 2007, he became Minister of Finance (including International Financial Services), External Affairs, Home Affairs, National Security, Labor, Information and Broadcasting. [ [http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-1968--20-20--.html "Reallocation of ministeral portfolios in St Lucia cabinet"] , Caribbean Net News, June 9, 2007.]

Compton died on September 7, and King announced his death on September 8. [http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/addresses_and_speeches/stephenson_king/address_to_the_nation_by_hon_stephenson_king_on_the_passing_of_sir_john_compton_sept_8_2007.htm "Address to the Nation By Acting Prime Minister Honourable Stephenson King on The Passing of Sir John Compton September 8, 2007"] , Saint Lucian government website.]

King was subsequently sworn in as Prime Minister by Governor-General Pearlette Louisy on September 9. [ [http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/1138/88/ "Stephenson King is St. Lucia’s new Prime Minister"] , Radio Jamaica, September 10, 2007.] [http://www.nationnews.com/story/356070344440206.php "KING AT THE HELM"] , nationnews.com, September 10, 2007.] All ten of the UWP's members of the House of Assembly agreed on King's designation as Prime Minister. King reshuffled the cabinet on September 12; in addition to being Prime Minister, he is Minister of Finance, International Financial Services, External Affairs, Home Affairs and National Security. [ [http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-3526--20-20--.html "St Lucia swears in new cabinet ministers"] , Caribbean Net News, September 13, 2007.]

References

Prime Minister King has recently been under tremendous pressure first from the opposition leader Dr. Kenny Anthony, then from his own renegade government side parliamentarians, to fire Econimic Planning Minister Hon. Ausbert D'Auvergne. King refused those calls and is now facing the most difficult decision of his political career.

Two ministers, Hon Marcus Nicholas Dennery North representative and Hon Rufus Bousquet, Choiseul MP have presented letters to the Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, which state that they withdrew their support for Prime Minister King who they say "lacks the moral capacity to govern". Both Bousquet and Nicholas have in their past had a bevy of hidden, malicious and erratic beaviour.

Some feel that the opposition St Lucia Labour party and their "Liutenants" are the ones behind this crisis and are they are quietly waiting for fresh elections.

External links

* [http://www.pm.gov.lc/ Office of the Prime Minister of St. Lucia]