Citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason behind the PPP not having held its congress since 2016, General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo said the 32nd Congress would be held by the first quarter of 2024. The 32nd congress is overdue and according to the party’s constitution, it should have been held in 2019.
“So we discussed it with the executive and the timeline is towards the end of the year or early next year,” Jagdeo said on Thursday last, during a press conference at the party’s headquarters.
At the party’s last congress from December 17 to 19, 2016 in Essequibo, Jagdeo was elected General Secretary of the party, by secret ballot; the post was also contested by now Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony.
This is the first time that Jagdeo has held the post of leader of the party.
He had secured the most votes (718) for the party’s Central Committee (CC), in which 35 members were elected; 98 votes ahead of Anthony (620), giving him a mandate to take the reins of the party. Long-serving executive member and current opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira (583) emerged third.
Anil Nandlall (548) dropped from the fourth spot to fifth with former president Donald Ramotar (570) placing fourth. Clement Rohee (522) who had placed tenth at the last congress moved to sixth; Ganga Persaud (512), who had placed twelfth, made it to the seventh spot; and current President Irfaan Ali (511) who had placed fifteenth in 2013 came at number eight in 2016.
Those elected to the Executive Committee were: Anil Nandlall (28 votes), Rohee (26), Ali (25), Roger Luncheon (25), Gail Teixeira (25), Zulfikar Mustapha (24), Donald Ramotar (23), Frank Anthony (22), Neil Kumar (22), Shyam Nokta (22), Clinton Collymore (21), Collin Croal (21), Dharamkumar Seeraj (21), Pauline Sukhai (21), and Bheri Ramsaran (20)
At the congress held in 2013 at Port Mourant, Berbice, Ramotar had earned the top spot (886 votes) followed closely by Jagdeo (851).
