Political scientist Peter Wickham says he is concerned that the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) may now be running rudderless in the coming months, following the decision by its president, Verla De Peiza, to resign with immediate effect.
Wickham said while he expected De Peiza to step down after the party’s crushing defeat at the polls two days ago, the political institution would have been better served if she had held the position in trust until the party was able to conduct an extensive search for the leader that would engineer the DLP’s resurgence.
However, fellow political scientist Dr George Belle said the sudden move came as no surprise, adding that the development was akin to the last rites of a political institution at death’s door.
It was revealed that during a special meeting of the party yesterday morning to review the just concluded polls, De Peiza tendered her resignation with immediate effect. In her letter to the party, the former president cited as her reasons for stepping down, her failure to “unite the party and ignite the country” during her three-year stint at the helm of the party. In the interim, first vice-president Steve Blackett will take up the mantle as leader until a special conference is convened in April to elect a new president. (CLM)
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