COP may go it alone, Patriotic Front to sit this one out

A coalition partner in the previous People’s Partnership administration, the Congress of the People (COP), has signalled its intention to contest all the electoral districts in the December 2 local government elections.But Mickela Panday's Patriotic Front political party will sit out the December 2 poll and instead focus on the general election, due sometime next year.In a telephone interview yesterday, Panday, who once represented the Oropouche West constituency for the UNC, said the five-month-old party would not field any candidates for December

“No, we are not, not the local government.”Instead, she said, “We are preparing, we are putting our house in order and preparing for the 2020 general election. We were just formed a few months ago, so we are preparing for 2020.”Asked whether the party was still working on its manifesto, she said, “We have our manifesto, it’s been completed. We have our constitution. We are working on our human resource, putting people in place and making sure our election machinery for 2020 is functioning and in good working order.”Asked whether the party might join with other s to contest the election, she said, “We are talking with a number of different groups. Like I have always said, you can’t preach unity and then close the door, so yeah, we are chatting with different people. But no solid position has been taken.”COP acting chairman Lonsdale Williams said the party’s candidates were already working in their respective electoral districts despite its not having finished screening candidates.“Yes, we are going to contest the local government election. At this point we are looking at all corporations.”On the screenings, he said this “will be done within the next week, but all of our prospective candidates have been on the ground working their areas, just doing the work they are supposed to be doing in the interim.”Asked whether the party would once again enter into a coalition, he said, “We are open, we have always been open to coalitions.”He said the party is opening its St Augustine offices on October 20 at 10am, when political leader Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan will mak ea “comprehensive” statement on the local government elections.

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"COP may go it alone, Patriotic Front to sit this one out"

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