By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Digital Editor

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Attorney General Sean McWeeney, KC, believes the Golden Isles by-election delivered a political boost for Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard while dealing a “knock in the head” for the Progressive Liberal Party, despite its victory at the polls and the popular belief that the results prove the PLP has the momentum heading into the next general election.

PLP candidate Darron Pickstock secured 1,873 votes to FNM candidate Brian Brown’s 1,636, with the Coalition of Independents finishing a distant third at 348 votes and independent candidate Karen Butler receiving 16. Although the PLP won the overall count, the FNM captured more polling divisions, underscoring the constituency’s competitiveness.

Against that backdrop, Mr McWeeney said Mr Pintard emerged from the by-election in a stronger position.

“That crown on Pintard’s head can rest more securely today than yesterday,” Mr McWeeney, a PLP stalwart, wrote.

“By performing impressively in yesterday’s by-election (even winning a majority of the polling divisions 8-6), the FNM and Pintard can point to all that as evidence that he is indeed a viable leader of a resurgent Party - no need to send a SOS out to Papa!”

Mr McWeeney shared his post-race commentary in a message to colleagues yesterday.

Turning to the Coalition of Independents, he said the party’s performance fell short of expectations. He noted the COI lost its deposit by failing to reach the legal threshold of 16.6 percent, adding he was surprised after its online presence and visibility throughout the campaign.

According to the unoffical results reported by the Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson, the COI finished the race with 348 votes.

“For all the noise they were making and all the social media coverage they were getting, I thought they would have done better than they did (then again voters may have had Lincoln-fatigue by the end of it all),” he said.

He argued that the COI’s votes in Golden Isles “prevented the PLP from winning an outright majority,” and, if added to the FNM’s tally, would have flipped the seat.

“That’s what spoilers do,” he said. “And the COI are certainly shaping up to be spoilers in ‘close’ seats in the next General Election. Bottom line: they can't win but they can cause you to lose.”

Mr McWeeney also praised Mr Pickstock’s showing, noting the PLP candidate had only 41 days to introduce himself to voters. “Darren came into Golden Isles a virtual unknown to constituents (in contrast to the FNM’s candidate who had good solid history there),” he noted. “In just 41 days, Darren made the rounds, showed himself to be a class act from start to finish, and ended up in victory.” He credited PLP strategists Jerome Fitzgerald and Kevin Simmons in their roles as campaign managers as well.

Nonetheless, the former attorney general said Monday’s results should be sobering for the government, particularly given the close margin, the FNM’s strength across multiple boxes, and the heavy resources deployed by the PLP.

“Yesterday’s results will no doubt be seen (and felt) as a knock in the head, all the more so when one considers the massive firepower and resources the government had brought to bear,” he said. “All of it turned out to be a bit underwhelming if the final count is anything to go by.”

He warned the PLP that viewing the by-election as affirmation rather than caution would be a mistake, pointing to the national pattern of one-term governments over the past two decades.

“If, however, yesterday’s results are interpreted as an affirmation that all is hunky-dorry and right on track, or if nothing but excuses are forthcoming now as to why the PLP didn’t get more votes yesterday, the cycle that has seen every single governing party in the past five General Elections get tossed out after just one term is bound to repeat itself - again,” he said.