Former Minister Lennox Weston has defended the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party’s (ABLP) record in government, crediting the administration with steering the country through multiple national crises that others believed could not be overcome.

Speaking at an ABLP political rally on Thursday night, Weston said the party had delivered results in moments of severe economic instability, including the near-collapse of the banking sector and the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we entered office, we were facing a financial disaster,” Weston told supporters. “The banks were on the brink, people’s savings were at risk, and international experts said it could not be fixed without bankrupting the country. But we proved them wrong.”

He recalled that global financial advisers had warned against government efforts to acquire and stabilise local banks, suggesting the country lacked the resources. “They said we didn’t have the money to buy the banks—we did it anyway, and we kept them afloat,” Weston said.

Weston also pointed to the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, asserting that the ABLP’s response helped protect livelihoods and ensured economic recovery. “They said we were finished when the pandemic hit,” he said. “But we navigated it, we kept the economy alive, and we emerged stronger.”

Framing the party’s approach as pragmatic and innovative, Weston said the ABLP had consistently defied expectations by relying on “non-traditional” strategies rather than conventional economic prescriptions.

“We didn’t follow the standard playbook because it wasn’t written for countries like ours,” he said. “We used intelligence, creativity, and courage—and that’s what leadership looks like.”

Weston urged voters to recognise the track record of resilience and results, warning against what he described as unproven and unstable alternatives.

“This party has solved problems others said were impossible,” he said. “We’ve done it before, and with your support, we’ll do it again.”