ULP to hold final national convention before elections

Unity Labour Party (ULP) diehards are expected to turn out in full force this Sunday, as the party holds its final national convention before general elections are called.{{more}}

At Sunday’s event, slated to be held at the Campden Park Secondary School, party supporters will, for the first time, be officially introduced to the full slate of 15 candidates, who will go to the polls on their behalf, following the completion of the party’s candidate selection process earlier this week.

On his weekly radio programme on Tuesday night on STAR radio, ULP general secretary Julian Francis said that the party was “whipping up its machinery” and “cleaning up the yard,” in preparation for what he anticipates to be a huge assembly, and ultimately the elections.

He announced that the theme for this year’s convention is “Labour: Great Leadership, Strong Performance. Leh we go, four in a row.”

“The Party is making sure all the ‘i’s’ are dotted and the ‘t’s’ crossed…. I want to urge everybody to come out early; we have a lot of things to discuss,” Francis told listeners.

“So, the pace is picking up and all the units of the party are putting their units together and preparing the platform for whenever our political leader is ready to make that big announcement. I don’t know if it would come this Sunday, but we are all going to be at the convention with bated breath and we will see what comes out,” he added.

Francis confirmed that last Monday, April 13, the final candidate was selected by the constituency council, and that the selection of all candidates was ratified the following day by the Central Executive.

Beresford Phillips was selected to represent the ULP in Central Kingstown on Monday, while Deborah Charles gained the nod of the people in West Kingstown on Saturday, April 11. St Clair “Jimmy” Prince was put forward by ULP supporters in Marriaqua on April 12.

The other candidates are Carlos James in North Leeward, Sir Luis Straker in Central Leeward, Jomo Thomas in South Leeward, Luke Browne in East Kingstown, Cecil Mckie in West St George, Camillo Gonsalves in East St George, Frederick Stephenson in South Windward, Saboto Caesar in South Central Windward, Montgomery Daniel in North Windward, Herman Belmar in the Northern Grenadines, Edwin Snagg in the Southern Grenadines, and Dr Ralph Gonsalves in North Central Windward.

Francis said that the following the national convention, the party will hold its youth convention on May 10, followed by the women’s convention on May 17.