While the ruling PNM will hold its final Local Government campaign rally in Port-of-Spain today, the Opposition UNC has changed the venue for its rally from Sangre Grande to central Trinidad.
T&T’s 1.07 million registered voters go to the polls between 6 am to 6 pm on Monday to vote for representatives for 139 Local Government districts. A total of 339 candidates from seven political parties, including eight independents, are contesting the polls.
The ruling PNM and Opposition UNC are fielding full slates of 139 each. The Congress of the People, Movement for Social Justice, Movement for National Development, Port-of-Spain Peoples’ Movement (PPM) and National Transformation Party are contesting in certain areas.
Special voting for polls, which began on Monday, ends at 6 pm tomorrow. That exercise began with low turnouts, but representatives from various parties projected higher numbers today and tomorrow.
At PNM’s final rally at the Jean Pierre Complex, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is expected to address party supporters at around 4 pm.
PNM PRO Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing, commenting on the party’s outlook for the election, said: “The PNM delegation from Sangre Grande was the largest at our recent convention and we had about 1,000 people from the areas at Thursday’s Sangre Grande meeting. We also feel cautiously optimistic about the battleground areas of Siparia, Tunapuna.”
The UNC, which initially planned a motorcade from Constantine Park in Tunapuna to Sangre Grande for its final rally today, will instead hold the rally at Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas. UNC officials said Constantine Park was cancelled due to rain which affected the grounds.
UNC PRO Anita Haynes said it was decided that candidates will have motorcades in their respective areas and gather at Centre Pointe in the centre of T&T since the party already had a Sangre Grande meeting last Monday.
The UNC rally begins at 5 pm and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will speak before 7 pm.
Former People’s Partnership Minister Vasant Bharath said the PNM’s campaign drowned out the UNC’s.
“PNM hasn’t performed well but their massive campaign would be more than sufficient to take them over the line,” he said.
Commenting, Haynes said: “I’m unsure he’s an expert on campaigning. I think we’ll hold our corporations, win Sangre Grande and pick up more electoral areas, including in San Fernando. PNM’s Sangre Grande meeting wasn’t a show of force but a show.”
Haynes said she didn’t expect any impact from the independents, including former UNC members, or parties like MSJ.
“They’re competing for PNM’s votes,” she said.
Apart from the PNM and UNC, other parties are doing motorcades and walkabouts today in the areas they’re contesting.
In the November 28, 2016, Local Government polls, the PNM won by one corporation, taking seven. The UNC and PNM tied in Sangre Grande where the PNM eventually took control. UNC, however, improved its votes over the 2013 Local Government results.
There were 317 candidates in the 2016 polls from eight contesting parties and four independents.