 Compton had led Saint Lucia to independence in 1979 and then been Prime Minister from 1982 until he resigned in 1996.Compton defeated Vaughan Lewis in an election for the leadership of the United Workers Party with Lewis later defecting from the UWP to fight the 2006 election for the Saint Lucia labour Party.A by-election in Castries Central in March 2006 was seen as starting a long campaign for the election due in December.