Pearl Quinn-Williams, UPP caretaker for St John’s Rural North has confirmed her candidacy for the top position in the party.
She is the sole female candidate so far.
Although she has not provided details to the media, her announcement has generated a lot of interest from supporters.
Quinn-Williams copped 45.58 percent of the votes in her constituency during the last general elections
However, she was defeated by Labour’s Charles Fernandez, leaving her supporters eagerly anticipating her next move.
Richard Lewis, the UPP Member of Parliament for St John’s Rural West, is also in the running for the top position, challenging interim Political Leader Jamale Pringle.
This will be his second attempt at the leadership position, having previously challenged former leader Harold Lovell in 2019.
Although Lewis faces an uphill task of overcoming the significant margin by which he lost, his extensive parliamentary experience is a valuable asset.
He was first appointed to the Senate in 2018 before winning his seat in last year’s general election.
Pringle, the party’s interim Political Leader, has a substantial support base within the UPP, thanks to his previous role as Deputy Leader and his current position as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
This makes him a formidable candidate in the upcoming race, and his supporters are confident he will come out victorious.
The UPP has been without an elected Political Leader since the resignation and retirement of Lovell in 2023.
Lovell, who contested the St John’s City East seat, stepped down following a narrow electoral defeat, losing by just six votes to Labour Party incumbent Melford Nicholas.
The UPP’s convention is expected to be held in late April, and several positions will be contested.
However, the most closely watched position is that of the Leader of the Opposition, who would become the next Prime Minister if the UPP were to win the next general election constitutionally due in 2028.
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