by Linda Straker
Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has promised that he will most likely announce the 2018 General Election date at a meeting scheduled to take place in his constituency of St George North West on 28 January 2018.
“On the 27 January before my endorsement, I am putting a challenge out to Nazim Burke; I want us to go in Queen’s Park for a 100-yard dash,” he said to thousands of supporters, after he made a call for the opposition forces to stop the rumour that his health was compromised through a stroke, and that would prevent him from running the affairs of the country.
27 January is a Saturday, but, as the party will not be having a meeting on that day, it is scheduled to meet on 28 January 2018.
Later in his speech, Dr Mitchell explained to the crowd that his New National Party (NNP) would be having a series of meetings to publicly endorse the 8 remaining candidates, and the final endorsement meeting will be held in his constituency.
That meeting will endorse
- Peter David, a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentarian who was expelled from the party in 2012 and has since switched his allegiance to the NNP, and will be contesting the constituency for the Town of St George;
- Gregory Bowen, who will be seeking to represent the constituency of St George South East, and
- Dr Mitchell who has represented the constituency of St George North West in the Lower House of Parliament since the 1984 General Elections.
Explaining to the crowd that the first step towards announcing the date is the dissolution of parliament by Governor General Dame Cecile la Grenade, he said, “It’s no secret. Very soon the Governor General will be dissolving parliament, and the country will be run by the cabinet of ministers, but no parliamentarians,” he said.
The political leader then proceeded to announce the endorsement dates for other candidates, and told the cheering crowd that at the final meeting to endorse the last 3 remaining candidates including himself, he “will most likely make the big announcement.”
“We [are] going [to] Beausejour, and I will most likely have a big announcement when we get to Beausejour,” he told the jubilant crowd who had turned up in St John, to participate in the endorsement of Alvin Dabreo. Dabreo will be contesting to continue representing the people of St John in the Lower House of Parliament for the New National Party.
Meanwhile, at a National Democratic Congress meeting in the northern parish of St Patrick, NDC political leader Nazim Burke — upon learning that Dr Mitchell promised to make the big announcement — told his supporters that the upcoming general election is a referendum on the legacy of Dr Mitchell.
“We can tell you with absolute certainty that within the next 21 days the announcement will be called; it will be the single most important decision in your lifetime. This election will be a referendum on Dr Mitchell,” he said.
General election is constitutionally due by this mid-year.
