PNM election ready by December

December is also the month of the party’s annual convention, which for the first time this year will not be held at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre.

At yesterday’s post - general council press conference at Balisier House, chairman Franklin Khan said several constituency executives have been disbanded and provisional executives put in place. He said, "Come December 5 the PNM will be fully prepared as a party as it relates to the new electoral landscape. Take that to mean, that any time an election is called after that, we will be armed and well prepared for the party to mobilise itself in terms of the new EBC report."

Asked if that meant there would be an early election, he said he could not say and directed reports to Manning. Manning attended the meeting but did not address the press.

Khan also told reporters that the party had formally approved December 3 and 4 as the dates for the convention, at a yet to be decided venue. He said the Convention Centre has not been providing the facilities that "a modern convention requires." Khan said the party was following the developed status model for the country, and "along those lines of mature first-world societies like the US and UK, we are currently finalising the new venue."

He said several other venues were being looked at, but did not wish to name the alternative options. He said plans are to have each constituency design logos and banners for clearer identification at the convention.

In the interim, Khan said with the introduction of four additional seats bringing the number of constituencies to 41, seven of the party’s constituency executives were disbanded. That is, the executives in Ortoire/Mayaro, Princes Town, Toco/Manzanilla, Arouca North, Arouca South, Chaguanas and Oropouche.

Khan said provisional constituency executives comprising ten non-elective members from the outgoing executives, have also been put to manage the affairs of 13 constituencies until the annual general meeting of the constituencies in September. The 13 constituencies are the ones which have undergone a name change as a result of the introduction of the four new seats. These are Arouca/Maloney, Chaguanas East, Chaguanas West, D’abadie/O’Meara, La Horquetta/Talparo, Lopinot/Bon Air West, Mayaro, Oropouche East, Oropouche West, Cumuto/Manzanilla, Princes Town North, Princes Town South/Tableland and Toco/Sangre Grande.