The clash of the sevens

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves in a speech to the Nation last Sunday evening explained what he had been hinting for weeks in relation to the date for the General Elections.

In a hoarse voice, the Unity Labour Party political leader proclaimed, “Parliament will be dissolved tomorrow Monday, November 7, and General Elections will be held on Wednesday, December 7. The two sevens clash; {{more}}

St. Vincent is on the go. Let’s get ready to rumble!”

Earlier this year, in May, Dr Gonsalves told SEARCHLIGHT that he had come to a firm conclusion on a precise date for the elections during his reflections while on his spiritual retreat at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Trinidad.

The date had come to him, he revealed, while he was reading a book on the life of St. Augustine, a Bishop from North Africa. Speaking on Monday, he stressed that he was not saying that the date was an inspiration from God, but that it had come into his mind while reading about the Bishop. He said he was further convinced that the date was right by the references to the number in the Book of Revelation.

Skeptics of the significance of the “clash of the sevens” were given reason to pause early on Monday, when the results of a phone-in poll conducted that morning on the We FM 99.9 “Double Trouble” show were announced. Hosts Ernesto Cook and Anthony Dennie had asked callers to vote for their choice of Prime Minister. The poll lasted 11 minutes, and had 99 callers. Of these, 9 votes were rejected, 5 went to the Green Party’s Ivan O’Neal, 8 to NDP leader Arnhim Eustace and an amazing 77 for Dr. Gonsalves!