AS BOTH major political parties increase the tempo to get all candidates in place in the event of a general election this year, the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) says that, by the end of June, all its candidates will be selected, while the ruling People's National Party (PNP) will be set to go by July.
Although General Elections are constitutionally due in 2007, there has been speculation that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller could send Jamaicans to the polls for national elections this year.
General Secretary of the JLP, Karl Samuda, said his party would be contesting all seats vigorously.
"We just have a handful of seats that will be cleaned up very soon (and) by the end of the month we should have all of that behind us," Mr. Samuda told The Gleaner yesterday.
With the exception of Member of Parliament for Southern Trelawny, Devon McDaniel, all sitting MPs from the JLP have indicated that they would be seeking to return to Gordon House when the next election is called.
The governing PNP missed its May deadline for having all candidates in place. Party Chairman Robert Pickersgill said the delay came as a result of the large number of applicants vying to represent the party.
