Young: Simple process in Grande

Speaking with reporters following the swearing in of new councillors of the Port-of-Spain City Corporation at City Hall, Port-of-Spain, Young said the next step with respect to the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation would be the announcement of the dates for the swearing in of councillors and aldermen. Following the release of the EBC’s final local government election results, the political parties in all 14 corporations have a four-day period to approve the allocation of aldermen to the respective corporations.

Once this happens, the corporations proceed to swear-in councillors and aldermen and elect their respective chairmen or mayors. All political parties which contested the November 28 Local Government election submitted their lists of aldermen to the EBC on November 7 (Nomination Day). As far as Sangre Grande is concerned, Young said, “We see it as quite a simple process as far as we are concerned and as we have stated before.” Asked if the UNC had any legal grounds to challenge the PNM for control of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, Young replied, “Certainly not from the PNM’s perspective. We are going to be proceeding in accordance with the law as we always do.” At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair on December 1, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley supported a position advanced by PNM chairman Franklin Khan on November 29 that the party will retain control of Sangre Grande.

“Once the results were clear enough to us and we sought proper legal advice,” the Prime Minister said. “We got it and as soon as we got it, we made that advice available to the public.