PEOPLE'S NATIONAL Party (PNP) delegates in the constituency of Central Kingston will vote today to choose their candidate for the next general election.The two contenders are the incumbent, Victor Cummings, and his immediate predecessor, Ronnie Thwaites.
Thwaites goes into the contest buoyed by the results of a recent poll in the constituency, showing him having a comfortable lead among members of the constituency.
According to the poll, conducted by Market Research Services Limited and sanctioned by the party, 59.1 per cent of respondents said they wanted Thwaites to represent them in Parliament, with 18 per cent favouring Cummings. Of the rest, 16.7 per cent said they were not sure or did not know, while 6.2 per cent said they favoured neither of them.
Asked for his reaction to the survey, Thwaites said it indicated that there was "a basis for my offering myself as a candidate for the general election, and I will".
While not dismissing the validity of the poll, Cummings was quick to assert that it was not confined to the delegates "and I am assured that I have the support of the majority of the delegates".
RESIGNED MID-TERM
Thwaites, a prominent lawyer and talk show host, first won the Central Kingston seat for the PNP in 1997. He resigned mid-term, clearing the way for Cummings, then a councillor in the constituency, to win a subsequent by-election.
Cummings retained the seat for the PNP in the October 2002 general election, but has been under increasing pressure from Thwaites' backers. Last year the former MP unseated Cummings in an election for the chairmanship of the constituency, setting the stage for today's contest.
