Volney to resign: Guardian report

The Sunday Guardian is reporting that Herbert Volney would resign his seat this week instead of going to court to challenge a decision by Speaker Wade mark to declare his St Joseph seat vacant.

Mark moved against Rowley last Monday on the basis of Section 49 A (4) of the constitution that provided for a seat to be declared vacant when a MP leaves the party on whose ticket he/she was elected. Mark also acted on the basis of the House Standing Order that gives him discretion in the absence of a specific Standing order.

Volney had said he would challenged the decision. Under the rules, he has 14 days to do so. However, his new leader, Jack Warner of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) has advised him not to go to court.

According to the Guardian Voleny would announce his resignation as early as Monday.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar appointed cabinet minister Ganga Singh, who is a COP member, as a "caretaker" for St Joseph. But he made it clear that it doesn't mean he is acanidate for the seat.

COP has said it would like to contest the seat on behalf of the People's Partnership. It fought the UNC alliance in 2007 and the PNM won although the combined opposition vote was higher than the PNM's. In 2010 Volney won the seat with more than 10,000 votes.

Volney has stated that he is not interested in running as a candidate in the next general election but he has not made a clear statement on a byelection.

"I have no intention of returning to electoral politics. There is no doubt about that in anybody’s mind. Why would I want to go back into politics? For what? I have more to do outside of politics than in politics now. That is it for me. I have done three years. Everybody wants the seat, so maybe they should all fight for it,” the Guardian quoted Volney as saying.

However he avoided the question of whether he would run in a byelection in St. Joseph. “In the fullness of time everybody’s questions will be answered. That is my call,” Volney told the Guardian.

The Guardian also reported that ILP sources have said although Volney has applied for membership in the party no final decision has been made on accepting him. 

The Guardian quoted ILP Warner Jack Warner as saying that Volney will not be the party’s automatic candidate to re-contest that seat under the ILP banner. The ILP said it respects Volney's decision in previous statements that he wants to leave electoral politics.