The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) was a political party in Montserrat.

History

The party was established in 1970 by

Percival Austin Bramble Percival Austin Bramble (born January 24, 1931) is a politician from Montserrat. He served as the territory's Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, fo ...

, son of

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

and leader of the

Montserrat Labour Party The Montserrat Labour Party (MLP) was a political party in Montserrat. History The party was established in 1951, and was linked with the Montserrat Trades and Labour Union. In the 1952 elections, the first held under universal suffrage, the pa ...

(MLP)

William Henry Bramble William Henry Bramble (October 8, 1901 – October 17, 1988), also known as Willy B, was a union leader and a political-party leader from Montserrat; from his Montserrat Labour Party, he was the first Chief Minister of the territory, serving ...

. Percival had previously been a member of the MLP and was elected to the Legislative Council as an MLP candidate in the 1966 elections.Howard A Fergus (1996) ''Gallery Montserrat: Some Prominent People in Our History'', Canoe Press, p124 However, he subsequently broke away to form the PDP as a result of controversy over the number of

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...

and

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

s being built on the island.Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) ''A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p144 The 1970 elections were the first occasion on which the MLP had faced serious opposition, and saw the PDP win all seven seats, leaving the MLP without parliamentary representation. Percival Austin Bramble became Chief Minister. The PDP subsequently won five of the seven seats in the

1973 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1973. Africa * 1973 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1973 Equatorial Guinean legislative election * 1973 Ethiopian general election * 1973 Gabonese general election * 1973 Republic of the Congo co ...

, but were defeated in the

1978 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1978. Africa * 1978 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1978 Comorian legislative election * 1978 Comorian presidential election * 1978 Egyptian protection of national unity and social peace refer ...

, when the People's Liberation Movement formed by former PDP minister

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play '' Look Back in Anger'' tr ...

won all seven seats. The PDP contested the 1983 elections, winning two seats in the Legislative Council. It was reduced to one seat in the

1987 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1987. Africa * 1987 Central African Republic parliamentary election * 1987 Comorian legislative election * 1987 Djiboutian general election * 1987 Ethiopian general election * 1987 Gambian general ele ...

, and did not contest any further elections.

References

{{Montserratian political parties Defunct political parties in Montserrat Political parties established in 1970 1970 establishments in Montserrat