It was a no contest. That’s the view of senior officials of the United National Congress after incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar was re-elected Political leader by an overwhelming majority.
It was the third time that Persad-Bissessar had received an overwhelming mandate from the membership of the UNC. In 2010 Persad Bissessar captured 13,932 votes to Basdeo Panday’s 1,359 and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj’s 1072.
A total of 16,363 members voted in the 2010 internal elections out of a membership of just over 34,000.
In 2015, Persad Bissessar got 17,502 votes to Roodal Moonilal’s 1821 and Vasant Bharath’s 1305. The membership at that time was just over 95,000.
Two years later, the party’s membership has grown to just under 103,000 and Persad Bissessar had been urging all members to cast their vote in yesterday’s election telling them that the true enemy of the party was “the Government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley.”
Throughout the day there was a steady stream of voters as the UNC membership cast their vote for political leader and for the national executive of the party.
There were few posts being challenged that of Political Leader, Party Officer, Education Officer and for the positions of regional coordinators.
Chairman of the UNC election Committee Rampersad Parasram said there were 77 polling stations across 37 venues to allow the 102,900 persons on the membership list to cast their ballots.
He said only one of the polling stations opened late. That station was located in Guaico and Parasram said it opened at 8.15 am because of “a simple administrative arrangement, tardiness on the part one of the local persons.” But he said the polling station was eventually opened and “people came and proceeded to vote.”
Christine Newallo Hosein, who challenged Persad-Bissessar for leadership of the UNC, said she was concerned about reports she had received in her Cumuto Manzanilla Constituency that “persons who were not on the list were being allowed to vote.” She said she had received reports that “persons were taking people to vote and stamping their ballot, they literally voting for them.”
She said she had also been told that “there is a concern that the person’s ID Card number is being written on the top of the ballot paper, I don’t know if it’s for them to check afterwards, because there is a corresponding number on the ballot paper. I don’t know what is the purpose of that it may be to identify the voter. ”
When the T&T Guardian spoke with Newallo-Hosein just before 3 pm yesterday she admitted she was “now heading out,” but from all indicators she said the voter turnout in the constituency was “very low.”
However, she said she felt “very good, I am upbeat. I look at this as very important for the country, not just for the party but for the country.” Asked if she was concerned about losing she said “I am very upbeat and very excited.”
Contacted on the allegation, Parasram said the Election Committee had received “no call or any report from any of the candidates on the field or their agents, no one has brought such a matter to our attention.”
He assured that “if and when that is brought to our attention we will look at it.”
Parasram said the voting process was “very clear to all the people who underwent training and all the candidates have manuals to know what the process and regulations are.”
Election day workers, he said, had undergone training sessions and they know that “if your name is not on the list you cannot vote.”
With regard to the ID card allegation he said it is a requirement to vote “your name must be on the list and you must have a photo ID.”
UNC Senator Gerald Ramdeen, who was on the ground in Sangre Grand,e dismissed the reports as “rubbish.”
He said Newallo-Hosein “does not even have a polling agent which is the most fundamental thing to have in a polling station to report on what is happening, so whatever complaints are being made, are not being made through any agent or polling agent.”
He said, “I have not seen her in any polling station for the day. That should speak volumes as to the credibility of the complaints being made.”
Ramdeen said he had seen a “very steady stream” of voters. He said, “if Newallo Hosein had support it would be in this area, but we have seen very little sign of that.”
Ramdeen said the election was “very important to show the strength of support for the political leader.”