United Progressive Party (UPP) leader Jamale Pringle has confirmed that attorney Wayne Benjamin Marsh will not stand as the party's candidate in the St. Paul constituency at the upcoming general elections. According to Antigua News Room, Marsh is unwilling to renounce his United States citizenship — a step required under Antigua and Barbuda's Constitution before he could be eligible to serve in Parliament.
The UPP is expected to name a replacement candidate for the seat in the near future.
Marsh had served as the party's caretaker in St. Paul for several years, spending that time building grassroots support in the constituency. He was widely regarded as the UPP's strongest challenger to incumbent Member of Parliament E.P. Chet Greene of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
The Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda prohibits any individual who has pledged allegiance to a foreign state from serving in Parliament unless that allegiance is formally renounced. Marsh's unwillingness to meet that requirement has effectively ended his candidacy.
