Peter Lenard "Spider" Montoute (born 30 June 1962) is a

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

n politician and former Minister and parliamentary representative for

Gros Islet Gros Islet (English: ''Large Island'') is a community near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia, in the Gros Islet Quarter. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the coun ...

for the United Workers Party (UWP). Montoute lost his seat in the

2021 Saint Lucian general election General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 26 July 2021, having been constitutionally required by 12 October 2021. Voters elected all 17 members of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia, House of Assembly. The result was a victory for the oppo ...

to Kenson Casimir; this was a landslide victory for the

Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds 15 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly. History The party was established in 1949, backed by the Saint Lucia Workers Cooperative Un ...

Political career

Montoute represented Gros Islet constituency from 2006 to 2011. He was the Minister for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development and Youth and Sports. He won the Gros Islet seat in the general election held on 11 December 2006. Montoute was also deputy leader of the United Workers Party and was considered a top contender for the leadership of the party, although he is also considered a political novice. Montoute began his career as an active politician in 2001. He lost his bid to Mario Michel by less than 500 votes and claimed a moral victory which he then parlayed into the longest, most consistent campaign for a seat ever seen in St Lucia. His hard work paid off with a big victory against former Labour Party leader, President of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Minister Julian Hunte. Montoute was sworn in as Minister for Social Transformation, Human Services, Family Affairs, Youth and Sports on 19 December 2006 as part of the government of Prime Minister

John Compton Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first prime minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton ser ...

following the UWP electoral victory. His portfolio partially changed in a cabinet reshuffle under Prime Minister

Stephenson King Stephenson King (born 13 November 1958) is the former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He is the Senior Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development, and Urban Renewal. King was the former candidate for the Uni ...

on 12 September 2007, following Compton's death; Montoute became Minister for Social Transformation, Public Service, Human Resource Development and Youth and Sports. There were many reports linking him to a bid to replace Stephenson King as leader of the government in 2008 but these ended when King fired Economic Affairs minister Ausbert D'auvergne and reinstated Choiseul MP Rufus Bousquet to the cabinet. Montoute lost the Gros Islet seat in the 2011 general election. He was an opposition member of the Saint Lucia Senate from 2012 to 2014. He contested and won back the Gros Islet seat in the 2016 general election.

References

* 1962 births Government ministers of Saint Lucia Deputy prime ministers of Saint Lucia Living people Members of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia Members of the Senate of Saint Lucia United Workers Party (Saint Lucia) politicians {{SaintLucia-politician-stub