PRIME Minister Andrew Holness says he will be moving quickly to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Pearnel Charles Jr from the Senate and the Cabinet in order to meet the requirements of the constitution.

Charles Jr recently resigned to contest Clarendon South Eastern parliamentary by-election, scheduled for March 2. The constitution requires that at least two Cabinet members be appointed from the Senate.

“The constitution does require at minimum two, maximum four persons from the Senate to be appointed to the Cabinet.

Presently, with the resignation of former minister, former Senator Charles, we would not be meeting the constitution in the letter of the law and indeed the spirit of the law and, therefore, I will have to move very quickly before the next meeting so that the Cabinet is properly constituted,“ Holness said yesterday.

“…All of those things are routine and will be done,” Holness told journalists following the nomination of Charles Jr at Vere Technical High School in Clarendon, yesterday.

Charles Jr, the son of House Speaker and Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Central Pearnel Charles Sr, is the former minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation, with responsibility for housing and water.

Yesterday, the prime ministry hinted that Robert Morgan, senator and parliamentary secretary, is among those being considered to fill the Cabinet position.

“Robert Morgan has done very well. [He is] one of the young talents of the party and he is among a group that I am considering,” said Holness.

At present, the only Cabinet minister sitting in the Upper House is Kamina Johnson Smith, the minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade.

— Kimone Francis