#PNPChallenge: Bunting hunting birthday gift from Phillips clash

Delegates have started to arrive at Kingston's National Arena for today's highly anticipated presidential election. 

Peter Murcott Bunting is hunting a grand 59th birthday gift today — the seat of president of the People's National Party now held by Peter David Phillips, 69.

Voting got underway at 10 o'clock this morning and will end at 4 p.m.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica is administering the voting process and the party secretariat has promised a result by 6 p.m.

Bunting has been running his campaign under the theme 'Rise United' while Phillips' campaign is dubbed 'One PNP: Powerful together'.

This is Phillips' third presidential contest.

In 2006, he was one of four people who sought to succeed PJ Patterson as party president.

The election was, however, won by Portia Simpson Miller who would go on to lose the 2007 general election.

A year later, Phillips challenged Simpson Miller for the post of party president and lost.

Here are 10 things about Peter Phillips:
1. Was elected unopposed as president of the PNP on March 26, 2017 succeeding Portia Simpson Miller who retired months after the PNP lost the 2016 election.
2. A graduate of Jamaica College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master of Science degree in Government from the University of the
West Indies.  He completed his doctoral studies in International Political Economy at The State University of New York at Binghamton. 
3. Served the PNP as vice-president from 1999 to 2008.
4. Was General Secretary between 1991 and 1994.
5. Was elected Member of Parliament of the constituency of St Andrew East Central in 1992, which he still represents in parliament.
6. Minister of Finance and Planning from 2012 to 2016.
7. Received the 2015 Gleaner Man of the Year award for exemplary public service.
8. Was Minister of Health between 1995 and 1997.
9. Worked as Minister of Special Projects in the Office of the Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994.
10. Married to Sandra Minott Phillips with whom he shares two children.

Ten things about Peter Bunting:
1. Married to Anushca with whom he shares a son.
2. Earned his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical) and a Master's degree in Business Administration at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada and the University of Florida in Gainesville.
3. Bunting later gained employment at Citibank where he worked first as an accounting officer of the Corporate Banking Group and then as manager of specialised finance. 
4. Headed Manufacturers’ Merchant Bank as the largest independent merchant bank in Jamaica, known today as Pan Caribbean Investment Services.
5. Was personal adviser to Prime Minister Michael Manley in 1990.
6. In 1992 Bunting helped to establish Jamaica’s first private sector investment banking firm, Dehring, Bunting and Golding (now Scotia Investments) .
7. Returned to politics representing the People's National Party (PNP) in the 1993 general elections beating Hugh Shearer in the Jamaica Labour Party stronghold, of Clarendon South East.
8. Former Minister of National Security
9. Served as PNP General Secretary - 2008 to 2014.
10.  Was as a Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

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