Finally—crunch time! All eyes will be on T&T’s marginal seats— and how undecideds sway—for today’s general election exercise.
Voting gets underway from 6 am to 6 pm at 21,099 polling stations across T&T. A trend in results is expected as early as 9.30 pm, it is understood. The registered 1,099, 279 electorate is the biggest in election history, according to information from the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
Special voting—for essential and similar personnel—which began September 1 ended September 4. Heavy voting was noted at EBC’s San Fernando and Port-of-Spain offices just before the period ended, the EBC confirmed. Out of the total electorate, there are 18,272 special voters. Consequently, some 1,080,552 are eligible to vote today following last week’s special voters’ exercise.
For the 2010 general election, the voting population totalled 936,079 out of a population of 1.2 million then. EBC chief elections officer Ramesh Nana, who said all systems were in place for today’s poll, urged the voting public to follow the instructions of information officers and presiding officers at polling stations. He said the EBC had not had any major issues that “we couldn’t handle” in the duration of the campaign.
He said EBC also held talks with the police and a police presence will be in place at all stations Focus in today’s poll will fall on marginal seats particularly in the East/West corridor including St Joseph, Tunapuna, Toco Sangre Grande—and San Fernando West which could determine how results might go.
Attention will also be paid to turnout and how the percentage of undecideds—falling between 32 per cent and 25 per cent more recently —will deal with today’s polls and consequently affect the outcome. The T&T Guardian learned that following last week’s heavy turnout for the special voting exercise, a similarly heavy voter turnout may ensue today, which could mean ballots may take longer to count.
Among the 132 registered candidates, the governing Peoples’ Partnership coalition headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar has 41 candidates among its four parties, the United National Congress, Congress of the People, Tobago Organisation of the People and National Joint Action Committee. The Opposition People’s National Movement headed by Opposition Leader Keith Rowley also has 41 candidates.
The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) headed by Jack Warner has 25 candidates. There are also a few candidates contesting from smaller parties including the New National Vision Party, Laventille Organisation for the Vertical Enrichment of People, Youth Empowerment Party, National Coalition for Transformation, Democratic Development Party, the Independent Party, Trinidad Humanities Campaign, Tobago Platform for Truth, Tobago Forwards, Your Party. There are also five Independents.
The areas with the most candidates are Diego Martin West—six including PNM’s Rowley—and Tobago East which also has six including PSA president Watson Duke. Kamla Persad-Bissessar is scheduled to vote this morning in south Trinidad. COP leader Prakash Ramadhar will cast his vote at 9 am at Mt D’Or Government Primary School, Champs Fleurs.
Former COP leader Winston Dookeran votes at 6 am at Tacarigua Anglican School on the Eastern Main Road. Dookeran leaves at 6 am tomorrow to attend an IDB function overseas for a week. Rowley is expected to vote this morning in Diego Martin West. Former prime minister Patrick Manning is expected to vote at 10 am at the Methodist Primary School, Alexander Road, Vistabella.
Jack Warner will vote in Arouca. The long three-month campaign period which ensued after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the election date on June 12, has been violence-free, though keenly contested by opponents. Heavy battling by opponents in the last few weeks of campaign has infused supporters with corresponding spirit resulting in some people flying mini-flags on vehicles or their houses and wearing party colours. The PP, PNM held large final rallies in the East-West corridor on Saturday. The ILP also held one in central Trinidad.
Recent polls have deemed the election a tight race with results being “too close to call.” The PP, whose term was marred with various issues, is campaigning on its delivery record while the PNM— whose internal leadership contest caused internal issues—is doing so on an ethics basis. Warner, once a PP member, is campaigning mainly against the PP.
Outside of the bigger parties certain other lobbies have also involved assorted ex-COP members. These include former COP members who left the COP earlier this year forming the Alliance of Independents, former Senate president Timothy Hamel-Smith and several other COP members who resigned from the COP in 2014.
Hamel-Smith, some former COP members and the AOI as well as the NAR attempted to form an amalgam, the “Third Force Movement.” But both AOI and TFM subsequently stated they would not contest the election since it was too short a period to formalise structures. Hamel-Smith in the last week has lobbied people to spoil their ballot—a call rejected by parties and frowned upon by the EBC
Today’s election exercise is being monitored by Caricom and Commonwealth observers. Security has been increased since last week with additional police and Defence Force detachments roving the country since last week.
FLASHBACK
The governing five-party PP coalition headed by Kamla Persad-Bissessar won on May 24, 2010, on a wave of anti-PNM sentiment, obtaining 29 seats—including two in Tobago—and winning 432,026 votes or 59.81 per cent of the electorate. PP member party the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), however, left the coalition in 2012.
The PNM, in the 2010 election, headed by former prime minister Patrick Manning, received 12 seats and 285,354 votes or 39.50 per cent of the electorate. Also including the New National Vision party and several Independents, a total of 719, 727 votes were cast. Total valid voter turnout in 2010 was 69.45 per cent.
PNM Diego Martin West MP Keith Rowley was appointed leader of the PNM following the PNM’s May 2010 defeat.