Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo announced this afternoon that sanctioned Permanent Secretary and member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Mae Thomas, will not be included on the party’s list of candidates for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.
Thomas was sanctioned by the U.S. government along with businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed. The U.S. alleged that she exploited her position as Permanent Secretary to manipulate processes in favor of the Mohameds.
While Thomas was placed on administrative leave by the government, she has not been formally removed from her position. Jagdeo clarified that she will not be part of the PPP’s candidate list.
“I don’t think she wants to be on the list, but as General Secretary of the party, I see it as no—she will not be on the list,” he stated. However, he noted that the party has not yet debated this matter thoroughly.
Jagdeo explained that the party is in the process of compiling its candidate list, receiving numerous suggestions from its structures. “We have not released our candidate list yet, but we are considering names from our base. We have so many names that it is challenging to narrow it down,” he said.
He emphasized that the PPP’s membership has grown over the years, making the task of finalizing the list more complex due to the wealth of talent available.
“The party has not made a decision yet. I will be meeting with our structures later this month to discuss the names submitted. We’ve sent out circulars to groups across the country, and they are providing us with candidate suggestions. We will meet and discuss these extensively before making final decisions,” Jagdeo added.
The elections are scheduled for September 1, with Nomination Day set for July 14.
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