Politics
Bermuda elects new govt on Monday – polls suggest that Premier Cox facing defeat
Bermuda Premier Paula Cox (l) and Opposition leader Craig Cannonier. PHOTO/File
Bermuda elects a new government this week on Monday. The lastest opinion poll suggest that the incumbent Premier Paula Cox could be heading for a crushing defeat.
According to the poll published in the daily newspaper – the Royal Gazette- the One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) holds a double-digit lead over the ruling Progressive Labor Party (PLP).
The faltering economy will certainly be on the minds of most people when they cast their ballots, according to the poll, which suggests a high turnout by the more than 40,000 registered voters among the island’s 65,000 residents could be on the cards.
The PLP, which swept the now defunct United Bermuda Party (UBP) from power in 1998, is seeking a fourth term in office but does so against a backdrop of rising unemployment (10 percent, according to new government statistics) and a national debt which has ballooned to US$1.4 billion as the island struggles to get out of a four-year recession.
A leading local investment advisory firm, Anchor Investment Management, predicts the island will remain in recession through 2013.
While more than two-thirds of voters believe the economy is the most important issue facing Bermuda, more than 50 percent of them think it is heading in the wrong direction.
According to the poll, the One Bermuda Alliance is seen as the party best able to bring about an economic recovery, despite the fact it is contesting its first general election.
The Gazette poll put the OBA 13 points ahead of the PLP. The poll showed Premier and Finance Minister Paula Cox with only a 34 percent favorability rating, third behind rival Craig Cannonier, the leader of the OBA, who got 48 percent, and Michael Dunkley, his deputy, who had a 51 percent favorability rating among voters.
Cannonier, is a businessman who arrived on the political scene five years ago, he became Opposition Leader when he won a seat in the House of Assembly 12 months ago.
Ms. Cox fared better in the poll than her deputy, Derrick Burgess, who had a 23 percent rating, and former UBP leader Kim Swan, who scored 26 percent.
Cox, the fourth PLP Premier since the party’s 1998 victory, which ended 30 years of unbroken UBP rule, told a press conference: “We’ve gone through the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression, but in times like these, we need leaders that have a heart for the people and who truly care about Bermudians like you.
“The PLP may not be perfect – no one is. We are all human. But, what we have done is stand strong for our people and deliver real results that even our opponents are now praising.”
Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards said: “Simply promising that the government will grow ‘thousands of jobs’, as the Premier has said, is not a plan. The bitter reality in Bermuda today is that people are living the government plan with more than 10,000 Bermudians either unemployed or under-employed and nearly 40 percent of our young people (16-24) without a job.
“By contrast, the One Bermuda Alliance has released a comprehensive ‘jobs and economic turnaround plan’ to create 2,000 jobs and restore confidence and opportunity to our troubled economy.”
Former Premiers Dr Ewart Brown, Alex Scott and Dame Jennifer Smith were among the guests at the PLP’s final rally on Saturday, which saw the party’s 11 central candidates take the stage to thumping music before a sea of green-wearing supporters.
“Send a message on Monday,” said Brown, who was Premier between 2006 and 2010.
Monday’s general election, will features 87 candidates vying for 36 seats in the House of Assembly in this island-nation.