ULP North Leeward candidate to be selected Sunday

The formal process for the selection of a person to contest the North Leeward seat for the Unity Labour Party (ULP) begins this weekend.

Card carrying members of the ULP, who are registered to vote in North Leeward, will meet on Sunday at 5:00 pm at the Chateaubelair Primary School{{more}} to vote for the person they want to go forward to represent them in the next general elections.

General Secretary of the ULP Julian Francis told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that the two names that will appear on the North Leeward ballot are that of former constituency representative Jerrol Thompson and newcomer Carlos James.

“Both candidates will make presentations, and we expect to come out with one, out of the meeting, and that recommendation will go to the central executive on July 30,” Francis said.

He said a minimum of 60 constituency council members must be present at Sunday’s meeting for there to be a quorum.

“So those sixty persons, will, in the end, make the decision on the recommendation that is coming out of the constituency council to go to the constituency candidate selection committee.”

Francis said the constituency candidate selection committee is made up of eleven persons, six of whom come from the central executive of the Party. The other five are members of the constituency council (the chairperson of the constituency council and four others to be elected at the meeting).

He said the candidate selection committee will meet and make its recommendation to the central executive on July 30, then to the national council on July 31.

“Then the national council approves or disapproves or recommends that we go back,” Francis said.

He said on Saturday, July 26, the selection process for South Leeward will begin. In that constituency, the names Grenville Williams, Jomo Thomas and David Browne will appear on the ballot.

“They will each make their presentation to the body, and we expect to come out with one name. All three names understand the role that they will be playing,” the general secretary said.

Francis said selection for the other constituencies where no candidate has been named will be done in “slices at a time.”

“We not going to take them all on at the same time. Each constituency has a different environment, a different approach. We take them two by two, three by three. When we meet on the 30th, I believe we will decide on maybe two or three more constituencies.

“Being in government gives you the advantage that you know when you are going to call the election. There is no rush… as the governing party. When you are in opposition, you don’t take chances.”

The opposition New Democratic Party has already named all 15 persons to contest the next general elections on their behalf.