Staff Reporter
ELIZABETH Celeste Becker, the secretary-general of the United People’s Movement (UPM), who was suspended from her position earlier this year, has been officially expelled from the party. Consequently, she will be withdrawn from parliament following an internal disciplinary process that concluded last month in her absence.
The UPM is a junior alliance partner of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), the official opposition party. In a letter addressed to the PDM’s chief whip, Erna Dienda, the UPM disclosed the outcome of the disciplinary process, which involved allegations of mismanagement of party funds against Becker.
The disciplinary hearing was held on May 26, but Becker reportedly walked out, and the proceedings continued without her. She was found guilty on all charges. When the UPM executive committee convened on June 11 to discuss the recommendations, they decided to terminate Becker’s UPM membership with immediate effect, thereby impacting her seat in parliament.
As a replacement for Becker in parliament, the UPM has proposed Frans Bartolini. However, the PDM has not yet responded to the UPM’s letter. Party officials expressed surprise and concern that the internal memo of the alliance was leaked to the public.
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