St. Kitts-Nevis election results to be known by noon

Official election results will be known in St Kitts and Nevis by noon today.  
    
There has been a delay in announcement of official results because, as Supervisor of Elections Wingrove George has confirmed, the results are being challenged in several constituencies.
    
The count in the general election came to a halt 12 hours after polling stations closed on Monday.

However, Nigel Carty, Deputy Chairman of the governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, in a radio interview on Tuesday morning, came very close to coneding the election, saying "we believe, from what we see stacking up, that the Unity coalition may have won the elections, and we want the country to be able to know what precisely are the results of the election, so that we can move on."

The state-owned ZIZ radio announced early Tuesday that there would be no more announcement of the results.  
 
Dr. Timothy Harris, leader of  the opposition Team Unity,  has appealed for calm. 
 
Premier Vance Amory of Nevis won the first seat declared, according to preliminary results released by the Electoral Commission. 
    
Mr Amory, whose Concerned Citizens Movement is part of the opposition grouping, Team Unity, polled 754 votes, as against 306 for Cory Tyson of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.

Marcella Liburd, the health minister in the outgoing Denzil Douglas government won the first seat for the Labour Party. Ms. Liburd polled 1,775 votes against ,1 643 for her challenger Jonel Powell of Team Unity.                                                  

There are 15 seats available in the National Assembly, with the Opposition fielding candidates for 11.    

Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, at age 62, is seeking to become the first head of government in CARICOM to win five consecutive elections.