PLP officials have remained tight-lipped over sitting MP Randy Horton being rejected by his constituency branch in favour of another recommended election candidate.

Mr. Horton, the Minister of Education, suffered the shock defeat during a meeting in Southampton West on Thursday night.

The news came mid-way through a process during which all the PLP’s branch committees are meeting to decide their recommended candidates for the next election.

It will be a blow for the party stalwart, although it is believed the decision not to back him is not the end of the road. There could still be intervention by those involved in further stages of the candidate selection process, according to insiders, or he could stand elsewhere.

Each constituency branch must have its recommendations ratified by both a five-person candidate committee and the party’s central committee. For the first time, the central committee will also use an independent research firm to poll constituencies before making its final call over who stands.

Rudolph Daniels, branch chairman of Southampton West, refused to confirm or deny whether Mr. Horton had lost. PLP spokesman Wentworth Christopher could not confirm how many constituencies had voted so far and said he had not yet received any of the results.

Mr. Horton, who previously won in Hamilton Parish, was believed to be off-Island for the World Cup cricket final today in Barbados and did not return calls or emails.

Another twist to the pre-election process took place in St. George’s West last night where sitting MP Dean Foggo won the unanimous nomination of the branch after two challengers stepped aside.

E. Michael Jones, a former St. George’s mayor and UBP candidate, and PLP Secretary General Linda Merritt both withdrew ahead of the vote.

Sources close to the branch said the pair had shown interest when it was thought Mr. Foggo was contemplating retirement, but they backed out of a contest when it was clear he wanted to carry on in the seat he won by just 20 votes last time.

Seventy people are formally seeking selection as PLP candidates for the 36 seats across the Island. In Pembroke South East, a rock solid PLP seat, former Cabinet Minister Ashfield DeVent was given the unanimous backing of his branch despite challenges from Premier Ewart Brown’s Chief of Staff Wayne Caines, top lawyer Elizabeth Christopher and newspaper columnist Larry Burchall.

In St. David’s, which the PLP lost by just 15 votes last time, lawyer Sean Tucker — a former winner of the Voice of Bermuda contest — won the nomination over branch chairwoman Lovitta Foggo.

Former Premier Alex Scott last night indicated that he had held the favour of his Warwick South East branch members.

“I’m still smiling,” he told The Royal Gazette.

He won by 462 votes there in the last general election, but was kicked out as party leader in favour of Dr. Brown last year.

Pre-election defeat for Horton, but victory for Foggo