Nomination Day for PNM internal election on Monday

AT 8 am today, the People's National Movement (PNM) will open its nomination day process for candidates who hope to lead the party for the next two years.

All 15 positions are up for grabs, including that of political leader, held by Dr Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister.

Nominations are expected to be filed at the PNM's Central Regional Office in Chaguanas. PNM sources were tight-lipped on Sunday when asked if Rowley will file his nomination today.

Up to late Sunday, there were no other challengers for the post of political leader except for former finance minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira.

On Sunday, Nunez-Tesheira said she was looking forward to filing her nomination papers today.

Voting in the election is expected to take place on November 26 and 27 for special voters, and again on December 4.

Nunez-Tesheira had concerns over the three days set aside for voting and the nine days until the counting of ballots. She said while there is no by-law or rule that the voting process should be completed in one day, the practice and custom of the party, from inception, has always been that voting would be completed and votes immediately counted in the presence of appointed representatives.

She said she wanted to know where, how and by whom the early ballots would be stored to ensure there is no opportunity for tampering.

Nunez-Tesheira referred to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and how particular that independent agency was about ballot boxes leaving a polling station and who would accompany them to ensure they reached their destination safely.

She said she would give the party's election committee an opportunity to provide clarity on the security and integrity of the process. Nunez-Tesheira wrote to the election support committee's chairman, Anthony Roberts, about the concerns raised by some of her supporters.