The main opposition St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) will meet on Sunday to elect a new leader to replace former prime minister and current Opposition Leader, Dr. Denzil Douglas.
Douglas, 67, a medical practitioner, served as prime minister from 1995 to 2015, has indicated that he would not be seeking the top post in the party he has led since 1989. But he led the party into two successive defeats in the last general elections to the coalition headed by Dr. Timothy Harris, a one-time deputy prime minister in an SKNLP administration.
The SKNLP announced that Sharon Rattan, chairperson of the Electoral Commission will conduct the leadership race on Sunday and that each of the eight branches of the party on St Kitts will send 50 delegates.
Rattan told a news conference on Thursday that delegates representing the National Executive, Young Labour, Labour Women and the St Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union will also vote under the newly ratified constitution which was approved at a special constitutional conference in May.
The delegates will vote for a new leader from among outgoing SKNLP chairman Dr Terrance Drew, Dr Geoffrey Hanley and Konris Maynard.
“The commission looked at online voting and in-person voting using the traditional list system. We looked at the basic principles that guide the conduct of a general election and it will be one man-one vote by secret ballot. We will use the same officers in a general election,” said Rattan
“The list of delegates come from the branches and we have also invited observers. We want to make sure there is consistency and we will very much like their recommendations in this exercise,” said Rattan.
The party said that all coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols will be observed.
CMC
 will meet on Sunday to elect a new leader to replace Dr. Denzil Douglas.){kind=link}