ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC): Sixty-year-old Winston Baldwin Spencer was sworn in here last Friday as prime minister for a second consecutive five-year term, a few hours after his ruling United Progressive Party (UPP) was given a brand-new mandate by the people of Antigua and Barbuda to run the country's affairs.

Spencer, along with Attorney General Justin Simon, took the oath of office before Governor General Dame Louise Lake-Tack in a simple ceremony at her official residence that was attended by senior party officials and supporters.

nine seats for upp

The UPP, which controlled 12 seats in the last Parliament, only managed to garner nine in Thursday's poll, which was marred by a computer glitch that caused a major setback to voting and also pushed back counting in several constituencies.

When the final tally was eventually announced around mid-morning on Friday, it showed that the main opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) had improved its position in the new Parliament, capturing seven seats compared with the four it had in the last legislature.

The other seat in the 17-member Parliament was retained by Trevor Walker, whose Barbuda People's Movement (BPM) is closely aligned to the UPP.

In a result reminiscent of the 2004 general election, Walker defeated his close political rival Arthur Nibbs of the ALP in a photo finish, with the preliminary results showing that he polled 474 votes to Nibbs' tally of 473 - a situation that is likely to be challenged by the defeated candidate.

The prime minister has accepted the new mandate given by the people, even though he has admitted that he had expected a bigger margin of victory.

"I am surprised we did not win it more comfortably ... . It could have been more emphatic, but we prevailed," he told jubilant supporters, adding that he was satisfied that the voters had given his administration a second opportunity "to move this country on the right track and in the right direction".

"We are on a rescue mission that started in 2004 ... (and) I want to assure you that your country today is in safe hands," he said, warning "as we prepare for the second term in office ... it will not be business as usual".

upp ministers successful

Apart from Prime Minister Spencer, who fought off a strong challenge in St John's rural west from Gail Christian of the ALP, several ministers in the last UPP administration were also successful.

But the prime minister received a setback with the defeat of three of his Cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Errol Cort, whose loss to ALP leader Lester Bird has rekindled hopes of extending that family's dominance of the country's political landscape.

Bird, 71, had already declared that Thursday's election would be his last, but is pleased to have been able to avenge his loss to Cort in 2004.