Fuad Abu Bakr's NNV to contest 21 seats

NEW National Vision (NNV) political leader Fuad Abu Bakr said his party has opened up screening for candidates for this year's general election Monday.

Abu Bakr had briefly relinquished leadership of the party as he sought, last Thursday, to be screened by the PNM for the Port of Spain South seat.

He was not screened, however, and the PNM PRO Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing said that he was never to be screened.

ABu Bakr later claimed that he had spoken with the Prime Minister, and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein was his liaison officer for the process, but Dr Rowley has denied speaking with him, and Hosein told Newsday that he only told him about the process.

Abu Bakr has returned to the leadership of his own party, and told Newsday the party members were very positive about his return. He reported the party will be contesting at least 21 seats and the screening started Monday with an announcement for candidates on the NNV Facebook page. The screening is scheduled to end June 15.

Abu Bakr said the NNV is working with some of the smaller parties with one or two candidates, and will support candidates like media personality Errol Fabien for St Joseph. He explained that if there is a viable candidate for a seat then the NNV will not contest it in the people's interest.

The NNV is one of the parties involved in the Better United coalition, which includes the Congress of the People (COP) led by Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Port of Spain People’s Movement led by Louis Lee Sing, the TT Democratic Front led by Anthony Williams, and the Democratic Party of TT led by Steve Alvarez.

Seepersad-Bachan previously told Newsday that the plan was for Better United to allocate seats which each party would contest.

Abu Bakr said the party would continue to work with Better United and the leaders such as Lee Sing and Seepersad-Bachan.

"Once they can bring good representation to the people and can deliver we will support them as well. We will not fight against each other."

Abu Bakr said he has not decided yet whether he will contest the Port of Spain South seat for the NNV. The PNM selected Olympic athlete Cleopatra Borel to contest Port of Spain South and to replace incumbent Marlene McDonald.

The NNV was launched in 2010 and contested 12 seats in that year's general election, receiving about 3,000 votes. The party also contested the 2013 local government elections.

It is a successor to the New National Vision party formed in 1994 by Abu Bakr's father, Jamaat al Muslimeen leader and mastermind of the 1990 attempted coup Yasin Abu Bakr.