SON-IN-LAW of the late Forbes Burnham–Dr Richard Van-West Charles– and Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings along with two former high-ranking military men, were elected to serve on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) for the very first time.

The results for the elections, which took place on Sunday during the PNC/R’s Biennial Congress at Congress Place, were officially released late Thursday night.
Van-West Charles, Dr. Cummings, Christopher Jones, Aubrey Norton, Winston Felix, Amna Ally, Mortimer Mingo, Clement Corlette, Cheryl Sampson, Thandi Mc Allister, Gary Best, Genevieve Allen, Jennifer Ferreira-Dougal, Edward Collins, and Basil Blackman are the members of the new 15-member CEC.

Jones, a youth leader and former chairman of the party’s youth arm, secured the most votes – 382 – during the highly-contested elections. He was followed by former General Secretary Aubrey Norton with 354 votes.

Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix came in third with 305 votes, followed by Van-West Charles, Managing-Director of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). Ally, the party’s General Secretary; Mingo – Chairman of the Local Government Commission; Clement — former Region 4 Chairman; Allen – Region 4 Regional Chairman; Brigadier Collins; Retired Rear Admiral Best; Mc Allister; Ferreira-Dougal and Blackman will now join with the party’s leaders in charting a way forward.

When the elections were held for the leadership of the party, President David Granger was returned unopposed as party leader while Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence was declared chairperson of the PNC/R. Lawrence, who competed against former chairman Basil Williams, SC and Minister of State Joseph Harmon, secured 346 votes, while Harmon and Williams secured 287 and 183 votes respectively. Williams served as the party’s chairman for three consecutive terms.

Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Communities, was the lone nomination for treasurer, while the vice-chairman positions were won by Junior Public Infrastructure Minister Annette Ferguson and Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton with 260 and 242 votes respectively. Among those who vied for the vice-chairman posts were former general-secretary of the PNC/R Aubrey Norton; Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; Thandi McAllister; Lawrence; Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira; Genevieve Allen; and Cosbert Robert.