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KINGSTON, Jamaica, Jul 20 2016 – Leader of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Portia Simpson Miller will be challenged for the presidency of the party at the annual conference scheduled to be held in September.
The unexpected challenge follows the nomination of a former vice president of the 78 year old party, Dr. Karl Blythe.
This is not the first time that Simpson Miller will be challenged by Blythe, in 2006 she faced Blythe, and two other members of the party, Dr. Peter Phillips and Dr. Omar Davies during a contest for party president.
Two years later, in 2008, following the party’s defeat in a general election in 2007, she was again challenged for the leadership by Phillips.
Following the PNP’s defeat at the polls earlier this year, on February 25, it was widely speculated that Simpson Miller would have been challenged by Peter Bunting a former general secretary of the party , but last week, Bunting announced that he would not be mounting a challenge at this time.
When Simpson Miller was nominated on Monday, it was then believed that she would be returned unopposed as party president.
Blythe submitted his nomination papers on Tuesday afternoon, a day before the nominations close .
A medical doctor, Blythe is a former member of parliament for the constituency of Central Westmoreland in the western end of the island.
Portia Simpson Miller is the fourth president of the PNP, the others being Norman Manley, Michael Manley and P.J. Patterson.
