PNP to meet on St Ann South Eastern replacement

The Election Monitoring Committee and Region One of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) are set to meet today to decide on who is to replace Lisa Hanna as the party's standard-bearer in St Ann South Eastern.  

The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.  

Harvard graduate and educator Dr Kenneth Russell and West Indies cricketer Wavell Hinds have emerged as the top two aspirants in the internal race.  

The decision was referred to the committee and the region in accordance with the party's bylaws after Russell, Hinds, and businesswoman Patricia Duncan Sutherland failed to meet the 50 per cent plus one threshold in Sunday's delegates' selection exercise in St Ann.    

South East St Ann falls within Region One of the party's structure.  

Of the 778 delegates who participated in the selection process, Russell secured 358 yes votes to Hinds' 245 and Duncan Sutherland's 171.  

These results come on the heels of those tallied in a constituency-wide poll commissioned by the party just over a month ago in which Hinds emerged as the frontrunner with 49.3 per cent of respondents indicating that he would be the best person to represent the party if an election were to be called soon.  

Nine per cent of respondents expressed a preference for Russell, while 8.5 per cent lined up behind Duncan Sutherland, who has represented the party on multiple occasions in Clarendon South Eastern, including in the last general election.  

The requirement was that candidates must obtain at least 25 per cent favourability in that poll.  

PNP Deputy General Secretary Nekeshia Burchell told The Gleaner a short while ago that the decision is expected to be announced later today.  

At the same time, she noted that a run-off could also be decided on to settle the matter.  

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