CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Wednesday July 6, 2016(Caribbean 360) – Dr. Kenny Anthony’s decision to step down as political leader of the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) was almost as surprising for supporters as the party’s loss in the June 6 general elections. But Anthony is now saying he stepped down from the political organisation he led for about two decades in the name of honour.

“That’s what honourable people do, what people of integrity do,” he said in an exclusive interview with local television station, HTS News4orce, part one of which was aired earlier this week.

“Having lost two general elections, very clearly, I would not have had the credibility to continue as political leader or for that matter, as Leader of the Opposition…Any political leader who has led a party into elections and has lost the elections, has to take responsibility for defeat and the loss and resignation is one way of taking responsibility for the defeat and the loss.”

The SLP won just six seats to the United Workers Party’s (UWP) 11.

Anthony admitted that he was taken by surprise by the loss.

But he had been following the results as they came in and before the final vote had been counted, he realized his party would be forming the Opposition this time around.

As disappointed and surprised as he was, Anthony said he was also prepared.

“I had rehearsed the [resignation] statement that I issued for months – not that I expected the St. Lucia Labour Party to have lost the elections, but you always had to realistic about these things,” he told HTS.

Anthony remains the Member of Parliament for Vieux Fout South.