Baptistois Labour Party

Baptistois Labour Party Parti ouvrier baptistois Pati Travayè Batiswa
Abbreviation	POB
Leader	Jeanne Duclos
Founded	15 April 1993
Ideology	Socialism Communism Perendist socialism Left-wing nationalism
Political position	Left-wing
Colors	Red
Seats	1 / 14
Website
www.pob.sb
Political parties

The Baptistois Labour Party (Principean: Parti ouvrier baptistois, POB; Baptistois Creole: Pati Travayè Batiswa) is a left-wing political party in Saint-Baptiste. Founded in 1993 as the political arm of the Saint-Baptiste Labour Federation, the POB has since the mid-2000s been considered a notable third party in the country's two-party system. Ideologically, the organization is often considered a big tent of left-wing politics, ranging from Perendist socialism to communism, and includes a large faction of left-wing nationalists. The party currently holds one seat in the Chamber of Deputies, with Jeanne Duclos representing the constituency of Sainte-Anne-Ouest since 2007.

History

The Labour Party was officially founded on 15 April 1993 during the second congress of the Saint-Baptiste Labour Federation, as the labour movement intended to contest the 1995 parliamentary election separately from the quickly collapsing Movement for Democratic Reform. The party remained at the periphery of the Baptistois political scene for the remainder of the 1990s.

Under the leadership of Marc Féret from 2000 to 2009, the POB saw initially a moderate increase in support, until the 2006 general strike. The events of the strike doubled the party's membership, and Féret secured a breakthrough nineteen percent of the vote in that year's presidential election. Although support would diminish by the 2007 parliamentary election, the POB would win its first seat in the working class constituency of Sainte-Anne-Ouest, becoming the first third party to enter the Chamber in sixteen years. Since their boost in support in the mid-2000s, the POB have retained its parliamentary representation, securing itself as Saint-Baptiste's third-largest party by both membership and parliamentary seats.

Election results

Chamber of Deputies

Election year	Leader	# of votes	% of vote	# of overall seats won	+/–	Govt?
1995	Élie Roatta	1,074	7.32 (#4)	0 / 14		No representation
1999		805	6.05 (#3)	0 / 14		No representation
2003	Marc Féret	1,173	8.54 (#3)	0 / 14		No representation
2007		1,314	10.99 (#3)	1 / 14	1	Opposition
2011	Moïse Leclair	1,394	9.59 (#3)	1 / 14		Opposition
2015	Jeanne Duclos	1,199	8.60 (#3)	1 / 14		Opposition
2019		1,770	11.14 (#3)	1 / 14		Opposition

President

Election year	Candidate	1st round		2nd round
		# of votes	% of vote	# of votes	% of vote
1996	Élie Roatta	1,038	7.54 (#4)
2001	Martin Mallette	1,136	9.09 (#4)
2006	Marc Féret	2,099	19.35 (#3)
2011	Jeanne Duclos	1,738	11.58 (#3)
2016	Jeanne Duclos	1,284	9.58 (#3)