The Tribune

By PAUL G TURNQUEST Chief Reporter pturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE FREE National Movement will ratify its full slate of 38 candidates tonight, signaling the official start of their 2012 general election campaign. The party's Candidates Committee will meet at 5pm today, followed by a 7pm meeting of the Central Council at the FNM's headquarters on Mackey Street where the full slate will be officially ratified during a closed session. On Sunday, the FNM will hold a launch for its Grand Bahama candidates during a live ZNS broadcast at 5pm. The party's remaining candidates for New Providence and the Family Islands will be launched the following weekend. As it currently stands, the party is expected to nominate the majority of their incumbent Members of Parliament, with a few exceptions. It is understood that amongst the list of new candidates the FNM is expected to nominate Darron Cash as their candidate for Carmichael, Pakeisha Parker for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Monique Gomez for Tall Pines, Heather Hunt for Marathon, Theo Neilly for North Eleuthera, Howard Johnson for South Eleuthera, and Norris Bain in Marco City, and Peter Turnquest for East Grand Bahama. Ronald Bostfield is expected to return as the party's standard-bearer in Mangrove Cay and South Andros, Kenyatta Gibson will be running in Southern Shores, Sidney Collie in MICAL, Dr Hubert Minnis in Killarney, and Tommy Turnquest in Moriah, with Zhivargo Laing being moved to Ft Charlotte, Dion Foulkes in Yamacraw and Shonell Ferguson in Fox Hill. It was unclear up to press time last night if MP Verna Grant was being offered a seat in which to campaign for the upcoming election. Dr Duane Sands will return in Elizabeth, and Desmond Bannister will be the candidate for North Andros and the Berry Islands. In the meantime, it is understood that the PLP ratified the last of their candidates last evening at their party headquarters on Farrington Road. Amongst those persons to receive a nomination were, Dion Smith for Nassau Village, Picewell Forbes for Mangrove Cay and South Andros, Dr Perry Gomez for North Andros and the Berry Islands, and Damien Gomez for South Eleuthera.