The PUP National Convention to elect a new executive is set for January 31st in Belmopan - and the race is expected to get a lot more interesting in the next four and a half weeks. That's because today was the deadline for each constituent and each unit of the party to submit the names of their delegates. It's a total of over 2,700 delegates - the most that have ever voted for an executive in either the UDP or the PUP. And that large number, in a three way race is what sets the stage for all kinds of craziness in the next few weeks.
And here's why. Each constituency chairman is trying to deliver his block of delegates for one of the leadership candidates: Cordel Hyde, Francis Fonseca or John Briceno. So, that constituency chair only includes on his delegates list the most loyal party supporters he can find.
But, it's virtually impossible to assure that these delegates do just what they are told to do - and there's the rub. Each candidate for leader has his constituency pledged, but holding together, say, a hundred delegates is no small task.
The delegates are awarded based on the number of votes that the PUP received in any constituency. There is one delegate for every 25 votes received. Stann Creek West has the largest number of delegates with 132, while Mesopotamia has the least with 18. But every delegate's vote counts - and over the next few weeks there will be intense wrangling over the lists and control of delegates, as candidates or their campaigns try to snipe away support from constituencies that are already committed.
And the wrangling begins with just submitting the names as required by the end of business today. Because once the names are submitted, that's when the sniping begins. Party Chairman Henry Usher would not comment today on how many constituencies did submit their list of delegates as required.
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