KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) Executive Committee at its meeting this evening, unanimously decided to convene a selection conference for the South West St Andrew constituency next Sunday at which Audrey Smith-Facey, Karl Blake and Angela Brown Burke will be the contenders to become the constituency representative.

The committee will also recommend, to the meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) on Saturday, that the nomination procedures and selection process be established and supervised by the party secretariat, with the general secretary being mandated to ensure a fair and transparent selection process.

The battle for former Member of Parliament (MP) Portia Simpson Miller’s constituency is teetering on the brink of a firestorm as Simpson Miller, who retired from the post last month, has thrown her support behind former mayor of Kingston and the party’s Norman Gardens Division councillor, Angela Brown Burke.

Smith Facey, Councillor for the Payne Land Division, issued a statement yesterday, making it clear that she expects to be the candidate for the constituency, despite Simpson Miller’s push for Brown Burke.