A Fourth candidate for the by-election

Nigel Bascus, the leader of the Missing Link-Voice of the People (MLVOP) Party, has announced his candidacy for the upcoming St Mary’s South by-election.

Bascus shared with the Observer on Friday that he decided to run as the MLVOP candidate after the intended candidate had resigned from the role, leaving the party without representation in the January 18 general elections.

Bascus, a fisherman, is passionate about aquaculture, also known as fish farming.

He believes it could be a significant opportunity for Antigua and Barbuda, both as a source of tens of millions of dollars and to strengthen the country’s food security.

If successful in his bid to become the parliamentary representative for St Mary’s South, Bascus intends to donate his salary to the Constituency for a year. However, even if he doesn’t win the election, he is willing to work with anyone from any party to contribute towards nation-building.

The MLVOP party was founded in 2003 with the goal of fostering greater collaboration between the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).

Other candidates running for the St Mary’s South seat include Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon of the UPP, Senator Dwayne George of the ABLP, and Andrew Antonio of the Democratic National Alliance Candidate (DNA).

In the January 18 election, Simon won the seat, but he vacated the position on June 7, triggering the by-election, as mandated by law.

Simon’s decision was to prevent the constituents from suffering from a lengthy legal battle resulting from an election petition filed on behalf of the ruling ABLP, which questioned his eligibility for office.