The Free National Movement (FNM) has not made immediate plans to replace the party’s late chairman, Charles Maynard who died suddenly two weeks ago, a senior party member has revealed.
Former FNM Chairman Carl Bethel recently told the Journal that the party’s two deputy chairmen Darron Cash and Dr. Duane Sands are collectively performing the functions of the party’s chairman.
Mr. Bethel said no decision has been made as to when the party will elect a new chairman.
“For a respectful, but short period, we won’t take any steps to fill the post substantively,” Mr. Bethel said. “They will perform respectively and as among the two of them those functions that would have been performed by the substantive chairman and at such time as the party after a respectful period of time determines to substantively fill it, it will.”
Maynard died on August 14 while campaigning in North Abaco for the upcoming bye-election to replace former FNM Leader and current North Abaco Member of Parliament Hubert Ingraham.
Maynard, who was unsuccessful in his bid to be re-elected as the MP for Golden Isles, was later elected the chairman of the FNM during the party’s special convention in May only weeks after the party was defeated at the polls.
While Mr. Bethel has been at the forefront of the party since Maynard’s death, he insisted that he is in no way an interim chairman and he maintained that his role with the party remains very clear.
“I have the same role that I have had since the last convention which is to be deeply involved in assisting the officers of the party from the leader on down in the further conduct of the party and that will continue,” he said.
Maynard, 42, was elected to the House of Assembly in 2007 and he served as a state minister and later as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
He had spent much of the last few weeks of his life campaigning in North Abaco.
Mr. Ingraham announced his decision last month to resign his seat in the House of Assembly effective August 31 at which time the prime minister is expected to set a date for the bye-election.
Maynard was laid to rest Friday after an official funeral service at Christ Church Cathedral.
