BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Businessman and former banker Ewan Stephenson has been named as provisional representative of the People’s National Party (PNP) in the St Elizabeth South Western constituency, placing him in pole position to contest the seat in the next election, constitutionally due in three-and-a-half years.

“He (Stephenson) has been provisionally confirmed,” chairman of the PNP’s Region Five, Mikael Phillips told the Jamaica Observer.

Phillips said that Stephenson will be required to complete a “programme” of political work within the constituency prior to formal confirmation. He will work closely with constituency chairman Miranda Wellington, a teacher.

The vacancy for the PNP in St Elizabeth SW arose when former Member of Parliament Hugh Buchanan walked away from representational politics following defeat by current Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament Floyd Green in the February 2016 parliamentary election.

Buchanan, son of the late legendary PNP Cabinet minister and long-serving MP for St Elizabeth SW Danny Buchanan, created a shock in 2011 by narrowly unseating the JLP’s Dr Christopher Tufton by 13 votes. However, he had a turbulent run-up to last year’s election because of bitter divisions among party people.

In September 2015 he held off a challenge for leadership of the constituency from Stephenson by 14 delegate votes following a bitter internal campaign.

Phillips confirmed late last week that Stephenson had come forward as the sole candidate to carry the flag of the PNP in the constituency.

The Region Five chairman, son of PNP President Dr Peter Phillips, said that work was going ahead to fill leadership vacancies in three other constituencies in the region, following losses to the JLP in 2016.

In St Elizabeth South Eastern — once considered a safe PNP seat, but which has been taken by the JLP’s Frank Witter twice in the last decade — the results of a poll are now being considered to help the PNP determine who should lead the constituency organisation. This follows the resignation earlier this year of former MP Richard Parchment.

There are four aspirants: Former St Andrew Eastern MP Andre Hylton, Junction-based medical doctor Dwaine Spencer, environmental scientist Bevon Morrison, and Gregory Myers — a former JLP councillor for the Southfield Division who switched sides in 2014.

Word on the ground in St Elizabeth South Eastern suggests that Spencer is best placed to be named to head the constituency organisation. Unlike St Elizabeth South Western, whoever is chosen will be chairman of the constituency as well as candidate.

Mikael Phillips told the Sunday Observer that he expects the party executive to name the new constituency head by mid-October.

“I would say within another two weeks, maximum,” Phillips said. He declined to name the organisation which conducted the poll, referring to it as “highly professional and reputable”. The poll followed months of reorganisation of the party’s structures in St Elizabeth South Eastern led by Region Five Vice-Chairman Hopeton McCatty.

Phillips said that progress was much slower in St Elizabeth North Western, where a search is on for a candidate to challenge the JLP stalwart J C Hutchinson. The latter shrugged off the challenge of former West Indies cricketer and former councillor for the Malvern Division, Daren Powell, in the February 2016 election.

The final constituency leadership vacancy in the PNP’s Region Five is in Manchester North Eastern, a seat held by JLP giant, Finance Minister Audley Shaw. There, former Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay is serving as interim chairman, “rebuilding” PNP structures as the search continues for a standard-bearer to challenge Shaw, Phillips said.

Businessman Val Wint, who went up against Shaw in 2011 and 2016, is now constituency chairman for St Ann South Western, which is currently held by the JLP’s Zavia Mayne.

The PNP’s Region Five suffered major setbacks in St Elizabeth in February 2016, going down 1-3 to the JLP in that parish — only managing to win St Elizabeth North Eastern, currently represented by businessman Evon Redman. The PNP fared much better in Manchester — beaten by Shaw, while holding on to Manchester Central (Peter Bunting), Manchester North Western (Mikael Phillips) and Manchester Southern (Michael Stewart).