By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

COALITION of Independents chairman Charlotte Green says the party remains encouraged after its Golden Isles showing and plans to fold lessons from the by-election into its push for the 2026 general election — even as last week’s results again exposed the movement’s limits at the ballot box.

Ms Green said the contest was only the second by-election the organisation has entered and that many of its volunteers were engaging in political work for the first time.

“This is the only way you are going to gain experience, especially as a new party or new organisation, you have to be able to participate in every political activity,” she said. “A lot of our people who participated have never participated in politics before. They gained so much knowledge and we look forward to continuing our campaign into the new year.”

She said COI representatives observed several issues during the advanced poll and believed some procedures were not properly followed. The party, she said, expects stricter adherence to election law in the next national vote.

Concerns about turnout and the age of the voter register have circulated since the by-election. Ms Green said some COI supporters in Golden Isles told the party they stayed home because they were waiting for the general election.

“A lot of them stated that it did not make sense coming out to vote because this was not the election that they wanted to participate in,” she said. “I understand that a lot of people are waiting for the general election. They felt like nothing was going to change and that the government was going to win that seat so they did not feel it made sense coming out to vote.”

She said the by-election exposed gaps in ballot handling, procedural clarity and communication by officials. COI, she added, would not accept a repeat of those shortcomings in 2026.

Ms Green confirmed that Brian Rolle will again run for the party in Golden Isles. She said the party views the by-election as validation of its message.

“The by-election actually confirmed that COI is the only movement that stands up without fear or favour,” she said. “The political landscape has shifted. The traditional parties no longer control the narrative. People are awakened and the message that the Coalition of Independence has is economic empowerment and ownership not for some but for all. That message is resonating with a lot of the constituents.”

Ms Green dismissed speculation on social media about internal dissatisfaction or leadership changes, saying the party has not received any such feedback from its membership.

“This organisation is in the development stage,” she said. “We are still going through the construction stages and we are still moving forward with the leadership that we have. It is not like we were around for 20 or 30 or 40 years. The organisation is still developing and it is still growing and I am very proud of where we have come in such a short period of time.”

She said the party has more than 500 paid members, not including council members, and none has called for any leadership shift.