Premier David Burt has conceded Bermuda “has very challenging issues to deal with” after he was re-elected as leader of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) following a comfortable victory over challenger Curtis Dickinson.
Burt, who admitted it had been a “difficult” campaign, defeated Dickinson, a former cabinet minister, by 97 votes to 56 in Thursday’s showdown in which 120-plus delegates and the PLP’s 30 MPs were able to cast ballots.
Home Affairs Minister Walter Roban also retained his post as deputy leader, defeating another former cabinet minister, Renée Ming, by 96 votes to 55.
“Under our longstanding constitution, our party held a fair and democratic election process, and we thank everyone for their efforts,” Burt, who has led the island for five years, said afterwards.
Burt, who said previously that if he won Thursday’s election he would only serve four more years and stand down in 2026, would not be drawn when asked by media on whether he would invite Dickinson, a former banker who dramatically quit as minister of finance in February, back into the cabinet.
After the vote, Dickinson said “we had a contest – the delegates have spoken. It is time for us to get together and go back to work.
“And I am as committed to the PLP as I was before I started this journey.”
The triumph came after Dickinson branded Burt a liar in an extraordinary attack before delegates voted on which man should lead the PLP.
In a scathing social-media post before the vote, Mr. Dickinson laid into Mr. Burt’s track record and predicted the PLP will lose the next election if he is still the leader.
The campaign was beset by claims from both sides about dirty tricks and attempted smears.
“Clearly, this has been a spirited election campaign,” Burt said, adding “there are ideas and talents that we can all use and we are going to take the time to focus on restoring our relationships.”
Asked if he would behave differently in his new term as party leader, Burt, who led the PLP to successive general election victories in 2017 and 2020, said “I am not entirely certain if it’s a question of ‘differently’.
“What is evident is that one of the things we are going to do as a party is to get out and talk to persons more. We have been in a pandemic. It’s been a difficult period. And during this election campaign, it’s all of us meeting with members across the country.
CMC/
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