By Prior Beharry
POLITICAL leader contender for the upcoming People’s National Movement (PNM) internals and two other candidates want the elections postponed.
Former minister of finance and MP for D’Abadie/Omera Karen Nunez Tesheira along with Dr Kenneth Butcher and Bishop Victor Phillip is suing Foster Cummings in his capacity as General Secretary of the PNM.
They want the internal elections postponed for 21 days if the court grants the declarations being asked for.
The breach of contract claim was filed by attorneys Peter Taylor and Egon Embrack on Sunday and is docketed before Justice Devindra Rampersad.
Talylor is also a former legal affairs minister in a past PNM regime and is also Nunez Tesheira’s campaign manager in the internal elections. She is contesting the post of political leader.
Butcher, a former national footballer and MP for Barataria/San Juan (1986 to 1991), is looking to become the next chairman of the party while Phillip, a bishop in the Spiritual Baptist faith is also a contractor, and contesting the post of elections officer. The three of them are on one slate.
The claim wants the decision of the PNM Central Executive and General Council to change internal elections from one day to three days with a seven-day intervening period to be declared unconstitutional, void and of no effect.
The PNM internals are scheduled to be held on November 26 and 27 and December 4, 2022.
The claim form states, “By letter dated October 25 2022 Mr Anthony Roberts, Chairman of the Elections Supervisory Committee advised the Claimants that the decision to change the Internal Elections from one day to span three days with an intervening period of six days, that is, on November 26 and 27 and December 4, 2022, was taken at a meeting of the Central Executive on August 10 2022 which was ratified by the General Council.”
It added that no reasons or justification was advanced as to why the decision was taken.
They also want a declaration that the decision to change the internal elections from one day to span three days with a seven-day intervening period and 41 constituencies without any or any timely issue or availability of clear and comprehensive guidelines to candidates for the conduct of the PNM 2022 internal elections is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.
The trio also wants a declaration that the failure of the defendant to issue all candidates with email addresses and telephone contact numbers of the registered membership is irrational, unfair, arbitrary and capricious.
They also want an order that all ballots are to be counted immediately following the close of voting as is the practice of the Election and Boundaries Commission and that Candidates and/or their authorised Representatives and Independent Observers be allowed to witness the counting of the Ballots.
