The PNCR says the selection process to decide who will be its presidential candidate at the 2011 general elections is proceeding smoothly with no complaints to date.
According to the schedule outlined by General Secretary Oscar Clarke about two weeks ago, party groups were to start meeting from November 27 and this is to continue until December 4 to make and formally document their List of Nominees for the presidential candidacy.
Contacted yesterday, Clarke said the groups should be meeting now and there had been no word of anything untoward reaching Congress Place.
“I would say things are proceeding smoothly,” he added.
From December 5 – 12 the Regional Secretaries are to receive the Group Nomina-tions. They will then convene a Special Extended Regional Committee meeting, including a representative from each of the Groups which submitted Nominations, to formally agree and document the Regional List of Nominees.
Where no functioning Regional Committee exists, the Party Group Chairman or Secretary will send the Group Nominations, in the specified format, directly to him, Clarke stated.
By December 18 all Regional Secretaries are to submit their Regional List of Nominees, endorsed by all of the Group delegates attending the Special Extended Regional Committee meeting, to the Party’s General Secretary. This is to be followed by the General Secretary preparing a National List of Nominees by December 22.
All nominees are to be asked to formally notify the Party General Secretary, in writing, their acceptance of the nomination. The nominees who accept their nomination will be required to submit a CV along with a brief biographical presentation to the Presidential Candidate Process Committee.
The Committee will then prepare a list of these nominated candidates for submission and approval of the Central Executive Committee (CEC). The approved list of nominees is to be publicised by December 30.
Clarke had also revealed previously that town-hall style meetings could be held across the country from January 3 – 31 “as far as practicable.” The nominees will get a chance to address those meetings, Clarke added, with the party to convene its Special Congress its presidential candidate by February 19.
However, the general secretary noted that the move to identify a presidential candidate does not detract or changes the party’s commitment to form a broad alliance to contest the 2011 general elections which he said was its “first priority.”
The party had said previously that the alliance candidate would have to be arrived at by consensus with the other signatories to the partnership.
The individuals in the running publicly for the party’s candidacy are Vice-Chairman Basil Williams, retired Brigadier David Granger former minister Dr. Faith Harding.
