ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) in St Vincent and the Grenadines has defended Peter Wickham, the Barbadian pollster who reportedly told US officials that the ULP used money and other handouts to sway voters in hard-fought constituencies in the December 2005 elections

The ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) in St Vincent and the Grenadines has defended Peter Wickham, the Barbadian pollster who reportedly told US officials that the ULP used money and other handouts to sway voters in hard-fought constituencies in the December 2005 elections.
The ULP was returned to office after it won 12 of the 15 parliamentary seats in 2005. The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), which won the three remaining seats, complained about voter irregularities, especially in three constituencies, where it lost by 35, 22, and 16 votes, respectively.
“I want to state categorically, up front, that I have not lost confidence in Peter Wickham neither has this party,” said ULP general secretary and campaign manager Sen. Julian Francis on Tuesday.
“We believe that Peter is being misrepresented in these matters,” Francis added.
According to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, Wickham told US officials in Barbados in 2006 that he believed that a sudden injection of US$350,000 in the last two weeks of the December 2005 election campaign allowed the ULP to sway voters in a handful of hard fought parliamentary races by helping people pay overdue bills, fix leaking roofs, and buy groceries.
The cable said that Wickham told the officials that it was the cash that won the elections for the ULP, since his polls showed the party could very well have lost.
The leaked document further said that Wickham believes the ULP flew about 400 people to St Vincent from the United States for the election.
Wickham, in a press statement, denied having conveyed information to US Ambassador Mary Kramer.
“Specifically, I can state categorically, that I have NEVER met privately with former US Ambassador Mary Kramer, who is alleged to be the author of this cable,” Wickham said in his statement.
The pollster was last Friday fired from the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in Barbados, where he was the resident analyst on the company’s radio and television stations.
The cable contains information that Wickham is said to have communicated about three prime ministers in the region.