CMC reported that Prime Minister Stephenson King told reporters that he could not comment on the report that Compton-Antoine, the only female legislator in the 17-seat Parliament, had stepped down, since he had not yet received any resignation letter.
However, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rosemary Husbands-Mathurin, on Monday confirmed that she had received a copy of the letter addressed to the prime minister.
She said the letter indicated that Compton-Antoine had resigned from the party founded by her late father and would remain as an independent legislator.
“With her letter of resignation she will remain the parliamentary representative for Micoud North, so it does not change her parliamentary position, but it does change her affiliation with the UWP, so they no longer have eleven seats in the Chamber, which is down to 10, with the MP now serving as an independent,” the House Speaker said.
This media house understands that there had been much speculation about Compton-Antoine’s relationship with the party after she failed to be part of the party’s launching of Attorney General Rudolph Francis, the candidate for the Castries South constituency on Sunday.
Ever since she won the by-election in the Micoud North constituency to replace her father who died in 2007, Compton-Antoine has often disagreed with some of the policies and decisions of the King administration and on occasions sided with the opposition, St Lucia Labour Party.
General elections are constitutionally due by March next year, but widely expected to be held later this year.
(The contents used in this article were obtained from St. Lucia Star)