ALP Sticking With Opinion Polls

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Politics

Wednesday, 11 April 2012 02:30

By Everton Barnes

Antigua St John's - The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) will continue to use opinion polls for candidate selection in constituencies where more than one prospect has expressed an interest in running on the party’s ticket.

That was the word from ALP Chairman Gaston Browne, in a one-on-one interview with Caribarena.com.

Some potential candidates have expressed displeasure with the party’s decision to use the polls, rather than the traditional primary system of candidate selection.

“The selection of candidates will be done scientifically and objectively. We will not violate the constitution in the process, but we see opinion polls as less divisive than primaries, and we have opted to avert divisiveness,” Browne said.

He added that the polls will provide the party with the information to determine which candidate has the best chances of winning in a given constituency, and that is whom the party will throw its full weight behind. He added that the party would also consider adding names to an opinion poll in addition to those who may have declared an interest.

Since the party's decision  was made public by its leader, Lester Bird, at least one candidate has publicly questioned the decision and called it unconstitutional.

But Browne defended the decision, noting that the poll method was used prior to the 2009 general elections to determine the best candidate for the St John’s City South constituency. Eustace "Teco" Lake, a relatively unknown national, was found to be the best candidate.

“There were some who still insisted on having a primary, and we were prepared to hold the primary. However, when they realised that we were supporting Lake, they backed away,” he explained.

There are at least three constituencies where multiple candidates have expressed a desire to be selected . These are St Philip South – Lennox Weston and Maureen Hyman-Payne; St George – Dean Jonas and Kelton Dalso; and All Saints West – Daven Joseph, Wigley George, and Ralph Potter.

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