PPP Civic PM candidate still on top public service job

Last Updated on Tuesday, 3 March 2015, 2:57 by GxMedia

PPP-Civic Prime Ministerial Candidate and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper (right) at Monday's presentation of credentials by the new United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, James Quinn. — PPP-Civic Prime Ministerial Candidate and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper (right) at Monday’s presentation of credentials by the new United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, James Quinn.

The People’s Progressive Party Civic’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper is still on the job as Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs although she has begun campaigning for the incumbent party.

Two weeks after she appeared at the PPP’s Headquarters to reveal her candidacy and last weekend appeared on a staged soft interview on state-run TV, Harper was present at the presentation of credentials by the new United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, James Quinn to President Donald Ramotar.

PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett have already said that Harper has resigned from the top public service post at Takuba Lodge, the home of the Foreign Ministry.

Rodrigues-Birkett has said that Ambassador Audrey Waddell would be the acting Director General.

Demerara Waves Online News was told that Harper, 57, could remain on the job up to Nomination Day.

General and regional elections are scheduled to be held on May 11, 2015. More than 567,000 persons have been registered to cast ballots at 2,260 or more polling stations across the country.

If the PPP Civic wins the elections, Harper would succeed Samuel Hinds who has been Prime Minister since 1992 when the party was voted into office in the first internationally certified free and fair elections in 28 years.