By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

DR Hubert Minnis’ declaration yesterday that he will run in the next general election has thrown his status as a Free National Movement member into doubt, as it may breach a constitutional rule that automatically strips membership from anyone who contests a race against the party’s chosen candidate.

The former Prime Minister made his announcement during the closing moments of his contribution to the 2025/2026 budget debate, saying he will once again seek to represent the Killarney constituency, a

seat he has held since 2007.

“Killarney must remain strong,” he said.

“I want to remind them that I am running in Killarney and I look forward to their vote and I look forward to their continued support. We must keep Killarney strong; Killarney will remain strong.”

Though he did not clarify whether he would run under the FNM’s banner or as an independent, party leader Michael Pintard confirmed in April that Dr Minnis would not be renominated. Mr Pintard said the party offered Dr Minnis a senior statesman role and the opportunity to contribute to policy development.

That decision, combined with Dr Minnis’ new public stance, means he is now at risk of automatic expulsion under a 2022 constitutional amendment passed by the party.

That amendment, ratified on February 25, 2022, states: “Members who independently nominate to contest elections or by‑elections against a candidate chosen by the party are deemed to have resigned from the FNM.”

The same clause applies to any member who publicly endorses a non-FNM candidate.

Dr Minnis, a former party leader and Prime Minister who led the FNM to a landslide victory in

2017, could now be forcibly removed from the very party he once led.

Asked whether he intends to run as an independent, he only told The Tribune that it was “safe to say” he would run. The Killarney constituency, long considered an FNM stronghold, is now positioned to be one of the most hotly contested battlegrounds in the country.

Dr Minnis remains a popular figure in the area, and his candidacy, outside the party’s endorsement, will prompt speculation about whether he could fracture the FNM’s base and split the vote.

Local FNM officials in Killarney have already criticised the decision to drop him, with some warning they may not support any replacement candidate.

Others had encouraged him to run independently if necessary.