Nomination Day

Nomination begins at 9 am to noon and 1 pm to 3 pm for the electoral districts seats in the cities of Portof- Spain and San Fernando, the boroughs of Arima, Chaguanas and Point Fortin, and the nine regional corporations in Trinidad.

Of some six political parties contesting the elections, only the People’s National Movement (PNM) and United National Congress (UNC) have said they are ready with the names of candidates for all 137 electoral districts.

However, the eight electoral seats in the Chaguanas Borough Corporation have attracted candidates from the PNM, UNC, Independent Liberal Party (ILP) and the newly formed National Solidarity Assembly (NSA).

While PNM General Secretary Ashton Ford is of the belief that the PNM will make a clean sweep of the seats at stake, UNC Deputy Political Leader Khadija Ameen said the UNC believes there are electoral districts, currently held by the PNM, that the UNC will win.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Commission website, over one million electors are registered to vote for the upcoming elections.

Ford told Newsday yesterday that apart from the party filing the names of 137 candidates for the electoral districts, he will be submitting to the EBC, 137 recommendations for aldermen.

“We are well prepared for nominations.

We screened all our candidates in time.

Their documents are in order. We have held training programmes for them,” he said.

The party, he said, has appointed party chairman Franklin Khan as the campaign manager who is supported by campaign managers for each corporation.

Ninety eight of the candidates are new, but Ford said, experienced people such as Chairman of Sangre Grande Terry Rondon and Roger Parris in San Fernando are returning.

Facing the polls for the first time will be former national football captain in Point Fortin Reynold Carrington, former UNC minister Dhanraj Singh’s daughter Sharda Singh in Chaguanas, and 23-year-old Clint Baptiste of East Dry River. Also representing the PNM will be former Cumuto/Tamana UNC councillor Rajkumar Bhagaloo who crossed the floor to the PNM.

At the UNC Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is in charge of the campaign.

Each region has a campaign coordinator, and each candidate has a campaign manager, UNC Deputy Political Leader Khadija Ameen told Newsday.

The candidates are a good mix of gender, youth and experience, she said and a number of the young ones persons are already involved in community activities.

The involvement of women in local government was good for democracy, she said.