The Central Committee of the People’s Progressive Party this afternoon unanimously endorsed retired Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips as its Prime Ministerial Candidate.
The party made the decision after former Finance Minister and Member of Parliament Bishop Juan Edghill withdrew from the race for the #2 spot.
In a statement, the PPP said Mr. Phillips is well qualified for the job, having served the Guyana Defence Force for close to four decades.
“Mr. Phillips has had a long and distinguished career in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) spanning nearly four (4) decades, culminating with his appointment as the 8th Chief of Staff of the GDF, from September 2013, until he retired in October 2016”, the party statement said.
The statement also noted that Phillips is equipped to partner with the PPP as its Prime Ministerial candidate, as the party pushes to win the next elections.
“The Party’s leadership and its supporters expect Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips to serve all the people of Guyana in accordance with the high PPP tradition of discipline, dedication, loyalty and commitment, both in and out of Government”.
The PPP’s endorsement of Phillips as its PM Candidate does not come as a surprise, according to political watchers.
Although he is considered a newbie in the political world, the party is hoping that his qualifications and discipline will be enough to pull additional votes to the party.
During the last elections, the PPP had repeatedly attacked the APNU+AFC coalition over the number of former senior military officials in the party.
Phillips was Chief of Staff at the time and the party has now found itself making a former military chief its number two man for the campaign.
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