No newbies allowed in UNC elections

File photo of a crowd of UNC supporters moving along the Eastern Main Road in Laventille during a motorcade from Morvant to Diego Martin in August. PHOTO BY ROGER JACOB -
File photo of a crowd of UNC supporters moving along the Eastern Main Road in Laventille during a motorcade from Morvant to Diego Martin in August. PHOTO BY ROGER JACOB -

NO ONE who has just joined the United National Congress (UNC) may stand as a candidate for an executive position in the party, the UNC constitution indicates.

So far, former cabinet ministers Devant Maharaj and Vasant Bharath have said they will vie for the post of party leader in a bid to unseat Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Other posts on the national executive are also being contested in the December 6 internal elections.

In article 19, on voting and eligibility for office, the UNC constitution lists several grounds that bar a person from contesting a post, including those individuals who are newly arrived.

“No person shall be elected to hold any office in the party or to represent the party at any level who has not been a member of the party for at least 12 months and has not passed his apprenticeship if required to do so.”

More so, an aspiring office-holder cannot be unfinancial, nor be the subject of any pending disciplinary charges in the party, although the national executive may in its discretion in special circumstances waive compliance with this.

The document also lays down requirement for members, who ultimately pick their party officials, in article 4(a) on eligibility. This section says anyone who is a member of another party cannot vote in the UNC elections, nor can a person in an organisation whose policies are contrary to those of the UNC. On the contrary, the member must agree to abide by the UNC’s constitution, discipline and decisions.

“Any person who is eligible to vote at a National Election in TT is eligible for membership in the party if he accepts the aims, objects, principles, policies and programmes of the Party and pledges himself to work for the achievement thereof.”

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