By Robert Andre Emmanuel
The Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party’s (ABLP) Rawdon Turner has emerged victorious in the St Peter by-election, securing a significant victory over United Progressive Party’s (UPP) George Wehner, following a day marked by steady voter turnout across the constituency’s three polling districts.
According to preliminary results announced Wednesday morning by Returning Officer Reverend Stephen Samuels at the Parham Primary School counting centre, Turner received 1,672 votes compared to Wehner’s 570 votes, with 31 rejected ballots from a total of 2,273 votes cast.
Turner significantly improved on his 2023 general elections results; picking up votes from the support base of the late independent MP Asot Michael. By the seventh of the 11 total boxes, it was mathematically impossible for Wehner to overcome Turner’s commanding lead.
“It’s an honour to serve in that capacity… It’s a very humbling experience,” Turner told the media following the official declaration of his victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “I look forward to offering my skillset to nation building.”
Turner said he based his campaign “primarily on the truth,” acknowledging that there are several issues within the constituency that need to be resolved.
He believes that much of the work he put in before the by-election was announced helped cement his victory. “I made promises to them leading up to the 2023 general elections, and even though I was not successful, I stayed on the ground. I remained committed to serving the people,” he stated.

Turner told Observer that he has no intention of shadowing the late MP but plans to “walk his own path” and lead St. Peter to the best of his ability. His first step is to fulfill the plans set out in his manifesto for the constituency.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking to Observer media at the Parham Primary School early yesterday, expressed full confidence in Turner. “[I’m] confident. I’m pretty sure he will take it… should take it by a big [margin], and I’m pretty sure that this constituency will remain a garrison for the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party.”
The PM also emphasized the implications for the constituency after Turner won, announcing his intention to name the newly elected representative as a government minister. “First of all, he’ll be elevated to ministerial status and will be in Cabinet [where] he’ll be in a position to meet the needs of the people of St Peter… He’s a homegrown talent, someone who’s committed to their empowerment and to protect them, and I’m pretty sure that the representation that will get from Rawdon Turner will be excellent”.
“But most importantly, he was able to show the people of St. Peter that he had a plan for the constituency. That is the level of commitment that Turner has for the constituency and the people have rewarded him with a victory,” said Browne.
Meanwhile, ABLP Chairman E.P Chet Greene celebrated Turner’s victory, describing it as “an indication of the long trust and support by the people.”
Greene emphasized the significance of infrastructure development in the community, expressing confidence that Turner “will make a good MP, a good Minister, and certainly a good Ambassador” for the constituency.
Greene also noted the historical significance of the constituency, referring to it as traditionally being “a Labour seat” and characterising the night’s results as a “reconfirmation” and “return of St Peter to the column of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party.”
The voter turnout, described as “relatively smooth” by Electoral Commission Chairman Arthur Thomas—as well as voters and observers on the ground—saw approximately 47.73 per cent of the 4,762 registered voters exercising their democratic right across polling stations at Parham Primary School, Pares Primary School and the Precision Centre.
“The Electoral Commission has always essentially put itself in preparation mode for any eventuality,” Thomas told Observer media earlier in the day, noting the dedication of electoral staff in executing their duties.
Throughout the day, Observer’s presence at various polling stations captured the general mood, with the Parham Primary School, the largest of the three polling divisions, experiencing an early morning rush of hundreds of voters between 6am and 7:30am.
The voting process, which began promptly at 6am, maintained a steady pace throughout the day, with election workers processing voters in approximately within three minutes each, according to observations at the polling stations.
The by-election, triggered by the death of MP Asot Michael, who secured 2,137 votes as an independent candidate in the 2023 general election, marks a return to normalcy in St. Peter.
The results will see Turner take his seat in Parliament, increasing the ABLP seats officially to 10—excluding independent MP Anthony Smith who also serves in the ABLP Cabinet.
The counting process, which began nearly an hour after polls closed at 6pm at the Parham Primary School counting centre, concluded just before the clock struck 1am today (Wednesday), it brought to an end to a by-election campaign that focused heavily on infrastructure development and constituency representation.