Ken Valley:

PNM DEPUTY Leader Ken Valley yesterday said general elections could be held in Trinidad and Tobago before, during or after next year’s Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.

He also said regional governments have not made an agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend elections in their respective territories just because the World Cup is being hosted by the region next year.

A daily newspaper (not Newsday) reported yesterday that regional governments had reached an agreement with the organisers of next year’s World Cup not to hold any major political activities such as elections in their respective territories from September to December 2007 when the tournament takes place.

In that article, UNC Deputy Political Leader, Jack Warner claimed that general elections would take place in TT before the end of 2007 because of this agreement.

However in an interview yesterday, Valley told Newsday that no such agreement has been made between regional governments and the ICC.

His view was supported by statements made by Cricket World Cup CEO Chris Dehring in a May 26 Jamaica Gleaner article. In that article, Dehring said there was no regulation requiring any Caricom nation to put off any elections before or after the World Cup which begins on March 11, 2007 and runs for two to three weeks.

The Gleaner article said next year’s World Cup will not be a factor in determining whether Jamaica holds local or general elections, the latter of which are constitutionally due in 2007.

Asked whether the PNM had started to screen candidates for general elections as yet, Valley said no such exercise has taken place as yet. Speaking last Friday in the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Patrick Manning seemingly heightened speculation of early general elections in TT when he announced that the life of the country’s local government bodies would be extended to July 13, 2007. Local government polls were constitutionally due in July.

Acting UNC chairman Vasant Bharath dismissed reports that former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj was the front-runner for any of the 41 seats up for grabs in the next election. Bharath said the party only constituted a screening committee at its executive meeting last Wednesday at Rienzi Complex in Couva and no candidates have been considered to date.

Addressing party supporters in Couva on Saturday, Warner called for new candidates for the constituencies of St Augustine, Caroni East, Chaguanas, St Joseph and Pointe-a-Pierre. These constituencies are currently represented by Dookeran, former chief whip Ganga Singh, Manohar Ramsaran, Independent MP Gerald Yetming and Independent UNC MP Gillian Lucky respectively. She described the new screening committee as a cabal and said she would not offer herself as a candidate in any process which lacked professional integrity.