The process to re­count bal­lots be­ing ques­tioned by the Peo­ple’s Na­tion­al Move­ment (PNM) in Ari­ma North­east is ex­pect­ed to be checked by the Elec­tion and Bound­aries Com­miss­sion on Thurs­day at 10 am. PNM of­fi­cials con­firmed this yes­ter­day.

In last Mon­day’s Lo­cal Gov­ern­ment elec­tion, the PNM and UNC tied 7-7 for con­trol of the 14 re­gion­al cor­po­ra­tions.

The PNM and UNC tied for the Ari­ma North­east seat and the UNC re­quest­ed a re­count. When it was con­clud­ed, the EBC stat­ed that the UNC Jairz­in­ho Rigs­by had won with one more vote—a to­tal of 624, while the PNM’s Kim Gar­cia got 623 and PEP’s Curt Clement, 81.

The PNM sub­se­quent­ly re­quest­ed that the EBC check cer­tain bal­lots which the PNM had ques­tioned.

PNM of­fi­cials said they re­ceived no­tice yes­ter­day that the check would be done on Thurs­day in Ari­ma.

The swear­ing-in of the Ari­ma cor­po­ra­tion coun­cil­lors and may­or des­ig­nate Bal­li­ram Ma­haraj is pro­ject­ed to be done af­ter the EBC’s check is com­plet­ed. That was ini­tial­ly ex­pect­ed on Fri­day and is to be con­firmed, of­fi­cials said.

The PNM won six of the sev­en Ari­ma cor­po­ra­tion seats. In a re­count which the UNC had al­so re­quest­ed in Ari­ma West, the PNM al­so won that process.

Mean­while, may­or-des­ig­nate of Port-of-Spain Chin­ua Al­leyne, deputy may­or-des­ig­nate Aben Hart­ley and the PNM’s oth­er coun­cil­lors of that cor­po­ra­tion are ex­pect­ed to be sworn in on Thurs­day at the PoS Cor­po­ra­tion Coun­cil cham­ber. The PNM won all 12 PoS elec­toral ar­eas.

— GAIL ALEXAN­DER