Days after Jamaican Senator Delano Seiveright announced that he was pausing his campaign for the St. Andrew North Central seat, both he and fellow contender Christian Tavares-Finson have formally withdrawn their applications to represent the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the constituency.
In a statement issued on May 18, the JLP said the decision followed a review by the party.
“The withdrawal will allow the Party Secretariat to conduct a consultation with the Executive and Workers of North Central St. Andrew in the coming weeks as it restarts the process of finalising a candidate within the rules of the Party,” the statement said.
“The Central Executive accepted the decision of Mr. Tavares-Finson and Senator Seiveright and noted that both are valued members of the Party. Both Senator Seiveright and Mr. Tavares-Finson further committed to having their supporters respect the Party’s rules and regulations and to act in the interest of Party unity,” it added.
Seiveright, who serves as a junior minister in the Ministry of Tourism, had announced the suspension of his campaign on May 13. While his bid was initially seen as the frontrunner—buoyed by the endorsement of longtime MP Karl Samuda—he cited internal discord as the reason for his decision.
“With that said, and after careful thought and consultation, we will, with immediate effect, suspend our campaign,” he said at the time. “While the momentum has been incredible, we acknowledge that it is becoming a distraction and giving space to those who seek to create division and confusion.”
Christian Tavares-Finson is an attorney-at-law and the son of Tom Tavares-Finson, another attorney-at-law who is also President of the Senate of Jamaica.
Samuda, who has served as MP since 1980, is expected to retire ahead of the next general election. The JLP’s statement said: “Mr. Samuda remains Chairman of the constituency during the process of finalizing a candidate.”
