CWI President Kishore Shallow selected as an opposition candidate

President of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Kishore Shallow, 40, was Tuesday night selected as a candidate for the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to contest the next general elections, constitutionally due by February 2026 but widely expected by December 2025.

Shallow was selected by the North Leeward Constituency Division, ending months of speculation that he was courting the opposition party, about a decade after he reportedly rejected a bid by the ruling Unity Labour Party to woo him as a candidate.

Shallow holds a doctorate in business administration, specialising in finance, an MBA from the University of Wales Institute and a Bachelor of Science in applied business computing from the University of Sunderland, England.

He declined to give a substantial interview to iWitness News immediately after his selection at Democratic House, the NDP’s headquarters in Kingstown.

Shallow is one year and seven months into a two-year term as the president of CWI. He was vice president from March 2019 to March 2023 and a director from March 2017 to March 2023.

Additionally, he served as president of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control from May 2019 to March 2023 and president of the SVG Cricket Association Inc. from May 2014 to December 2020.

Shallow told iWitness News off-camera that there were certain formalities he wanted to undergo before speaking to the media, and noted that his nomination was yet to be ratified by the party’s central committee.

He, however, expressed gratitude for the support he had received during the primary in which he defeated two other contenders — Etson Williams and Ronald Seaton.

“Let me say that just to express my gratitude to the people of North Leeward. I’m inspired by their confidence,” Shallow said and expressed confidence that he would wrest the seat from the ULP’s Carlos James, who is also minister of tourism.

“Well, it is the only reason why I put myself forward,” Shallow, a former national and West Indies cricketer told iWitness News.

Shallow’s selection comes one month after a poll showed he had performed almost as well as Friday regarding who can do a better job as prime minister than 78-year-old Ralph Gonsalves.

At the same time, the ULP’s heir-apparent, Camillo Gonsalves performed relatively poorly and almost half as well as his main competitor within the ruling party, Sabato Caesar, 43.

Friday, 64, was the most preferred alternative to Gonsalves as prime minister, with 21% of respondents saying they think he could do a better job. Friday was followed by Shallow at 19%.

Opposition Leader welcomes Shallow selection

Meanwhile, NDP president and the Leader of the Opposition, Godwin Friday, welcomed Shallow’s selection, saying he represents the future of politics in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He said Shallow was the “overwhelming favourite” of the three candidates among the delegates in the selection process.

“… there was a very open, transparent process of voting. And I’m delighted that the process went well and smoothly, and that the delegates had a free choice up to who the candidates were, and they chose Dr Shallow,” the opposition leader said.

Friday said Shallow’s selection as an NDP candidate in the next general elections “is huge”

“Kishore Shallow is … a quality candidate. He’s the sort of candidate that brings a reputation of leadership in the region,” Friday said, adding that Shallow is also well-educated, articulate and young.

“It’s the future of politics in our country, quite frankly. And so, when we talk about having him as a candidate for the New Democratic Party, that could only be a win-win for me and for the party and for the people of North Leeward,” Friday said.

He said Shallow “brings a dedication, first and foremost, to representing the people of North Leeward, as he said here tonight, and he has the ability to do it”.

The opposition leader, who failed in his first bid in 2020 to lead the NDP to victory after its initial defeat at the polls in 2001, said he is putting together a team in the NDP that would be “the best ever to contest an election in this country.

“Because we don’t want just to change government. Of course, that’s the first priority. We have to change government. But we want to change the country,” Friday said.

“And you need people with vision, with ability — younger persons, who can take this forward and transform St. Vincent in the Grenadines from where it is now where we are known for all these negative things and all of our potential lies unrealised, undeveloped, because we have the wrong leadership in place. That is what I’m putting in place.”

The opposition leader declined to disclose the vote count but said it was “near unanimity” in support for Shallow.

“… we don’t usually disclose what the numbers are and so forth, but in this case, he had overwhelming support,” Friday said.

iWitness News was reliably informed that Shallow secured 32 votes while the other two candidates secured 3 and 2 respectively.

Friday said Shallow’s performance in the primary will be “mirrored on the ground in North Leeward.

“And I can’t wait to get out there and start campaigning on the ground with him.”

He said he believes Shallow is going to be “a transformative type of leadership for the constituency, joined with all the other candidates … and all those other persons who have been in this for quite some time and have the experience and have also built up, essentially, a strong base in their own constituencies that our aim now is to make North leeward similarly”.

He noted the NDP was founded in North Leeward — in 1975 — which was also the first seat the party won in St. Vincent.

“So, it’s a special place for us, and we hope to keep it that way,” he said.

Former MP ‘Patel’ endorses Shallow

Shallow also received the endorsement of Roland “Patel” Matthews, a former NDP vice-president, who was MP for North Leeward from 2010 to 2020, when he lost to James by one vote after a contentious recount.

Matthews congratulated the three people who offered themselves as candidates.

“I think that they would have done a good job in the sense they have put them and make themselves available to be possible candidates,” the former MP said.

 “… I am confident that Dr. Shallow will win the North Leeward seat for the New Democratic Party,” Matthews said.

“I think he has the ability, the competence and other attributes that would make him an ideal candidate for North Leeward.”

Asked what gives him confidence that Shallow will be victorious, Matthews said:

“Well, if you look at Dr. Shallow’s track record over the years as a sports administrator, he is in business, and he’s a success story for St Vincent, and in particular for the people of North Leeward.

“He came from the very small Village of Coulls Hill and he has risen up in terms of academia, and I think that will be an asset for him going forward.”

Also expressing confidence in Shallow was former fellow national cricketer and schoolmate, Kaschaka Cupid, a tax auditor, who is hoping to get the nod as the NDP’s candidate in West St. George, where Louise Mitchell, daughter of NDP founder the late Sir James Mitchell is said to also be a contender.

“Well, I’m elated to see him given the opportunity to serve the people,” Cupid told iWitness News as he stood next to Shallow at Democrat House.

“I have all confidence that he will do a wonderful and tremendous job once he’s elected as the Member of Parliament and the representative. And I look forward to hopefully us combining forces fairly soon,” Cupid said.