Kennedy Simmonds

Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds ( born April 12, 1936 in Basseterre ) is a politician from St. Kitts and Nevis.

Biography

Simmons, 1965 was a founding member of the party People's Action Movement (PAM ), ran three times unsuccessfully for a seat in the National Assembly. In January 1979 he was elected at a by-election in the constituency of Central Basseterre to Members of Parliament. The by-election was necessitated by the death of Premier Robert Bradshaw. In the general elections of 18 February 1980, he was verteiden his seat.

After the election, he was able to form a coalition government of the PAM and the smaller Nevis Reform Party ( NRP) and to be Premier on 21 February 1980 he. The coalition defeated the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, which for 30 years had the power and could make all previous chief ministers and prime ministers. In St. Kitts, the coalition was indeed in the minority, as the Labour Party won 58 percent of the vote and four of the seven seats there. However, the two seats in the NRP of Nevis the coalition procured a majority of one vote.

As Premier Simmonds led his country on September 19, 1983 in the full sovereignty from the United Kingdom and then became the first Prime Minister. The opposition, which alleged that Simmonds had no right to stress the independence without the holding of new elections, also complained that the new constitution Nevis, the smaller of the two islands, giving too much influence. Simmonds said that the draft of the Constitution, which gave the Nevisianern " autonomy over a number of their affairs," had been discussed thoroughly in advance in the country. Simmonds pro- business government planned the reorganization of agriculture, strengthen small industry and tourism and sought more help from the United States.

In the elections of 1995, the PAM lost after fifteen years of reign of the majority. In the election of Prime Minister Simmonds lost his seat in the National Assembly and was replaced on July 7, 1995 by Denzil Douglas, the chairman of the Labour Party, as prime minister.