NDP slammed over leadership void

Political commentator Claude Skelton Cline is criticising the National Democratic Party (NDP) for failing to identify a clear leader, warning that the party’s lack of direction could affect its ability to rally support ahead of future elections.

Speaking on his radio programme Honestly Speaking, Skelton Cline argued that the NDP’s credibility hinges on selecting a recognised figure to lead the organisation.

“The first thing you got to go do is choose a leader. That is the first thing you have to go do,” Skelton Cline stated. “There is no followership if we don’t know who the leadership is.”

The NDP, which once formed the government of the Virgin Islands, has struggled to regain its former footing since losing power in 2019. The party currently holds two seats in the House of Assembly and has yet to formally announce a new party leader following a period of internal shifts and electoral defeats.

Skelton Cline stressed that leadership remains central to public trust and effective organisation. “This is a top-down country. We follow leadership. It shouldn’t be that way. It don’t have to be that way. That’s just the way it is right now,” he explained.

The NDP has remained relatively quiet on its next steps since its last public gathering, and despite engaging in community outreach and occasional media appearances, questions about its structure and leadership have persisted.