'Worst kept secret' expected to be revealed Monday night

By the end of Easter Monday party workers will likely be out plastering P.E.I. with election signs. Premier Wade MacLauchlan is expected to make what the Liberal party is calling a 'special announcement' during his nomination meeting in Covehead.
 

"It looks like the worst kept secret on the Island is about to be confirmed," said PC Leader Rob Lantz over the weekend. "We've essentially been in an election for weeks now, but Monday night's special announcement should make it official."

MacLauchlan is running for the party is his home riding of District 9 York-Oyster Bed. The nomination meeting with the premier's announcement will be broadcast live on the CBC Prince Edward Island web site beginning at 7 p.m.
  
None of the Island's four political parties have elected leaders, and if an election is not called by Tuesday afternoon the Legislature is required to begin its spring session. The most likely date for an election is May 4, if MacLauchlan sticks to his March 27 pledge that Islanders would be voting in an election before Mother's Day.

Liberal Party insiders were not saying much more than what was contained in a short new release issued Saturday. 

"It is the nomination of our 27th candidate. Our leader will be nominated at the meeting in Covehead and then there will be a special announcement thereafter that is at the premier's direction," said Liberal spokesperson Mary Lynne Kane. "All Islanders are anxious to hear what he has to say as am I and we're staying tuned."

The Progressive Conservative party is also planning an announcement on Monday. Leader Rob Lantz will be joined by party candidates for a policy announcement at Holland College.

Island Party could lose official party status

The Island Party says it may not have enough candidates to maintain party status.

Interim leader Paul Smitz said the upstart party may not register 10 candidates by the nomination deadline.  So far it has four and needs six more to meet the definition of a registered political party on P.E.I. 

"We had planned on a fall or spring election, next spring," Smitz said. So we have really not geared up, we're not in great shape to be honest, for an election call for May which is what it seems to be."

If a party loses official status the four candidates would have to run as independents. Smitz said he'll likely pull out of the campaign if that happens.

During the 2011 P.E.I. election campaign the party nominated 12 candidates.