As the race for the NPP primaries gathers momentum with 18 members paying for nomination forms less than one week after nomination opened, the focus is shifting to the National Delegates’ Congress and delegates who would constitute the Electoral College to choose their presidential candidate. The focus has assumed importance as the candidates have to lobby them to cast their votes for them. Various opinion polls have put various candidates ahead, but many have questioned the basis of the polls as not all the delegates are known as yet. According to the NPP’s Constitution, the presidential candidate shall be elected by the National Congress, which shall comprise the following delegates: 10 delegates from each constituency and a representative of the founding members from each region. Others are a representative of the Patrons from each region, a representative of each overseas branch of the party that is entitled to send a representative to the congress. The constitution said where the dues paying members of an overseas branch are of a minimum number of 100, that branch shall be entitled to send one representative to the National Delegates’ Conference with voting rights. The constitution says where there is a sole contestant for nominations as the party's presidential candidate, the congress shall acclaim his/her nomination. Where there is more than one contestant, each delegate will cast his or her vote by secret ballot for one of the contestants. “Where a contestant obtains more than fifty per cent of the votes cast, he or she shall be the party's presidential candidate. “Where, however, no contestant obtains more than 50 per cent of the votes cast there shall be a run-off between the first two contestants and the contestant with a simple majority shall be the party's presidential candidate.” The constitution says in the event of a tie between the two contestants, the run off will continue until one contestant obtains a simple majority. Source: GNA