The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) could secure a third consecutive election victory if opposition parties remain divided, commentator Claude Skelton Cline has warned.
Speaking on his radio programme Honestly Speaking, Skelton Cline said the opposition’s handling of the recent no-confidence motion in the House of Assembly mirrored what could happen in the next general election, constitutionally due in 2027.
“You see how that vote of no confidence went in the final analysis? It is a perfect picture, a prototype of what will happen in a 2027 general election if we don’t change course,” Skelton Cline said.
During the motion, one member abstained, two were absent, and the government side retained its majority. Skelton Cline argued that the opposition risked repeating this scenario with voters.
“You are going to have a set of people in one instant who’s going to abstain. And the public is going to abstain. They’re going to sit on their hands. In other words, they’re not going to vote,” he explained.
He added that others may not turn up on election day or arrive too late to cast their ballots.
“And then you’re going to end up with a couple people voting yea and the majority voting the other way. And the Virgin Islands Party will remain in power,” he said.
The VIP, led by Premier DR Natalio Wheatley, retained power at the 2023 general election after securing six of the 13 elected seats. Opposition parties, including the National Democratic Party (NDP), Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM), and Progressives United, split the remaining seats.
In June 2025, the NDP and PVIM announced a merger, but they have yet to confirm a new party leader. Skelton Cline argued that unless opposition parties unite and identify a clear leader, history will repeat itself.
“You all are about to have a three-peat of what you repeated in ’23 and what you repeated in 2019. That’s a three-peat,” he insisted.
He also questioned the ability of opposition parties to field enough strong candidates. Skelton Cline cautioned that the current trajectory pointed to continued VIP dominance.
“What you all doing right now is pure politics and it’s not the answer. It’s going to put this country in deeper doo-doo,” he stated.
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