No New Senator Ahead Of PNP Leadership Race - Phillips

By: Admin

Image caption: Leader of the Opposition and President of the People’s National Party, Dr Peter Phillips - File photo

Leader of the Opposition and President of the People’s National Party, Dr Peter Phillips, says with three weeks to go before he demits office, he does not intend to fill the vacancy which has arisen in the Senate.

Businessman and former PNP treasurer, Norman Horne, indicated over the weekend that he will forgo being sworn-in as a senator to allow the next Opposition leader a free hand to appoint his or her senators. 

READ: Horne forgoes Senate appointment

Horne was one of eight senators appointed by Phillips, who is to demit office when the PNP elects a new president on November 7. 

Horne, who was in quarantine at the time of the swearing-in in September, was not sworn-in. 

“On appointing the members of the Senate on September 14, in furtherance of my constitutional duty as Leader of the Opposition to ensure that the legislative obligations of the Parliament were able to advance, an entire slate was named, after full consultation with each appointee. At that time, no date had been set by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) for a special delegates conference to elect the next party leader,” Phillips recounted in a statement today.

READ: Not Quitting...Opposition senators have no plan to leave when Phillips steps down

Since then, a date has been set, which is less than three weeks away.

As a consequence, it is my considered view that the decision to name a new member to the Senate is best left to the next Opposition leader, said Phillips.

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