MONTEGO BAY, St James — President of the United Independents’ Congress (UIC), Joseph Patterson, says his party will not be fielding a candidate in the March 2 parliamentary by-election for Clarendon South Eastern.

“We have not found a suitable candidate to run in that constituency at this time, and so we will not be contesting,” Patterson told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“But we are currently conducting a search, so persons who are living in the area and are interested in representing the UIC, we would be more than happy to hear from them, because, as you know, the UIC does not plant candidates in constituencies, we actually invite persons from within the constituency to make themselves available.”

He stressed that applicants seeking to become the party’s standard-bearer in constituencies have to undergo a screening process to ascertain their suitability for the position.

“They have to first apply to represent the party, then we vet them and see if they are appropriate to represent the party — and we strongly believe in having citizens from within the constituencies to determine who represents them. We don’t believe in parachuting candidates in, we believe that candidates must live in the constituency that they represent, and so we make every effort to find candidates who live within, who understand the issues, who understand the people, the challenges, and will focus on true representation of the people — and not merely representing a political party,” he explained.

Nomination day for the by-election to fill the vacancy following the sudden resignation of Member of Parliament Rudyard Spencer will be on Wednesday, February 12.

Government Minister Senator Pearnel Charles Jr is expected to be nominated by the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

The Opposition People’s National (PNP) said it will not be fielding a candidate, but will instead intensify its preparation for general elections, widely expected to be held later this year.

The UIC, having satisfied the requirements of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2016, was last year certified by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica as Jamaica’s third registered political party.

The party was launched in 2015 with an aim “to create a Jamaica where all Jamaicans can live, work and retire with dignity and liberty in their own country”.

Patterson, the party’s founder, ran in a losing effort in the February 25, 2016 parliamentary election where he sought to represent the St Elizabeth North Eastern constituency.