Analyst: By-elections result a wake-up call

POLITICAL ANALYST Dr Mukesh Basdeo has described Monday’s by-elections as a clear signal of dissatisfaction to the government by the electorate after the Opposition UNC snatched the Barataria electoral district from the ruling PNM administration.

Preliminary results in Barataria saw the UNC receiving 1,933 votes while the PNM tallied 1,825 votes. The PEP got 65 votes.

Belmont East was retained by the PNM as it received 594 votes to the UNC’s 151 votes while the PEP got 51 votes.

In an interview yesterday, Basdeo said the ruling party would have to review its strategy ahead of the 2019 Local Government election while the UNC would have to build on the momentum of the by-election.

“The voters clearly sent a signal – the result from the Belmont seat is a thing unexpected seeing that the seat is a PNM stronghold in the Port of Spain Corporation.”

Asked whether the Barataria victory had strengthened UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s position in the Opposition party, he said Persad-Bissessar had emerged from the election with a stronger mandate.

Responding to the showing by the PEP, he said the by-elections may not be a proper gauge of its strength saying this should be viewed as a testing ground for its election machinery.

“To really gauge that party, it would have to contest all of the local government seats and that would be a better position to gauge how good they are.”