CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC):

Janine Compton, 37, the daughter of former Prime Minister Sir John Compton, won the by-election in the rural Micoud North area on Monday to take command of a constituency controlled by her late father for more than 50 years.

"My dad would have wished this for me and the people of this constituency who he loved so much and dedicated his life to, and now I have been chosen to continue his legacy and I intend to continue the hard work to ensure that I make a difference in helping to improve the lives of the people of this constituency," Compton said.

Sir John died in September after a prolonged illness. The 82-year-old former Prime Minister had represented the area for more than five decades.

Restores majority

The victory restores the ruling United Workers Party (UWP) six-seat majority in the 17-member House of Assembly.

Having outvoted her four male opponents in every polling station Compton, a marine biologist, defeated her closest rival, Silas Wilson of the main opposition St. Lucia Labour Party, by close to 900 votes in an election that many political pundits had anticipated would have been far more competitive.

Preliminary figures released by the Electoral Office here showed that 3,423 persons voted in the by-election for which 6,388 had been registered.