PNM, UNC STAND THEIR GROUND – another 7-7 tie after intense LGE campaign

AFTER three months of bitter campaigning in the local government elections to woo the votes of the million-plus electorate, the country's two main parties ended up exactly where they had begun, each holding the ground it had won in the 2019 elections – seven corporations each.

Both political leaders declared victory on Monday night minutes after 10 pm, the Prime Minister for the PNM and Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the UNC.

The PNM won seven councils – Port of Spain, San Fernando, Arima, Point Fortin, Diego Martin, San Juan/Laventille and Tunapuna/Piarco.

The UNC retained its seven – Chaguanas, Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Siparia and Sangre Grande.

Smaller parties – the NTA (allied to the UNC), PEP, MSJ and PDP – failed to win any seats, although the PEP's tally of votes in the Arima North East seat (in the Arima Borough Council) exceeded the margin by which the PNM edged the UNC to win the seat.

Last night the country was still awaiting exact results on the total number of seats won by each party, including expected recounts for some, plus the vote share won by each party in each corporation, which will be used to calculate the number of aldermen seats allocated to each party.

Some 141 seats were contested by 373 candidates from ten parties plus six independent candidates.

The UNC won an extra seat on the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, Neil De Silva winning Valencia West, where the UNC now holds six seats to the PNM's two.

It had previously been five-three seats in the UNC's favour in 2019, and before that four-four in 2016.

The UNC won an extra seat on the San Fernando City Council, where John Michael Ali Bocas, known as the entertainer "Makamillion," won Marabella West.

Further, the UNC's Sacha Ali won Marabella South/Vistabella, previously held by Marcus Girdharrie, who had defected to the PNM and ran as their candidate.

With a new seat created at the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation, the UNC increased its tally from a previous five out of six to six out of seven seats.

The election came after the Privy Council rejected the Prime Minister's extending the terms of councils by a year to allow local government reform, his party's eventual election rallying cry.

In the campaign, the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour chided certain campaign conduct, including Dr Rowley's telling a rival, “Drink your rum and go back to bed,” and Persad-Bissessar telling voters to "empty the whole clip” at intruders, which became a UNC rallying cry.

Speaking of the results at Balisier House, Port of Spain, on election night, Rowley declared, "You have changed nothing."

Rowley said the election results came at a time when the party was "in the middle of its second term," that is, both mid-term and in its second term, alluding to surviving a traditional mid-term dip in popularity which parties often face. He said the PNM was "very happy" with its performance.

Rowley said, "We went in with seven and came out with seven. We lost a seat in San Fernando, by a few votes.

"We won a seat in Princes Town corporation, where last time we had none."

While acknowledging the PNM "failed to cross the line" in Sangre Grande, speaking generally he said, "We held our ground."

Saying the nation now had "serious work to do," Rowley said the PNM had emerged from the election advocating that what was good for the country was good for the PNM, rather than vice-versa. "Tonight we are very, very happy.

"Tonight we have added two more political parties to the list of parties defeated by the PNM."

Persad-Bissessar initially addressed reporters at Siparia, where she declared victory in six corporations (while awaiting the Mayaro Rio Claro Corporation result).

She later spoke from the UNC headquarters in Chaguanas, where she thanked all who had worked this election, including businessman Jack Warner, NTA head Gary Griffith and the OWTU.

"We'll work harder to bring home the next election, whenever it is called, because we have a vision for the country."

Persad-Bissessar listed the results. She said the UNC tally at Sangre Grande grew from five to six out of eight seats since last election. At San Fernando the UNC had three seats last election, saw its tally drop to two upon a defection, but now held four out of nine seats, with "one seat outstanding."

She boasted the UNC won seven out of eight seats at Chaguanas, all 15 seats at Couva Tabaquite Talparo, six out of seven seats at Mayaro/Rio Claro, ten out of ten at Penal/Debe, six out of nine at Siparia, and nine out of ten at Princes Town. Otherwise the UNC got five out of 16 seats at Tunapuna/Piarco (where she expected several recounts into other seats), two at San Juan/Laventille, and one out of seven at Arima. She said the UNC missed out winning a seat at Tunapuna/Piarco by one vote, plus a seat at Arima by nine votes.
"The PNM lost votes in almost all seats," Persad-Bissessar said.

She said in Diego Martin the UNC/NTA accommodation had given the PNM a run for its money.

Of the national tally of voters, she said, "We would have gained the popular vote."

PEP leader Phillip Edward Alexander told supporters that while the party had won no seats nor corporations, TT now knew the PEP was not going away.

"We are here to represent, we are here to grow, we're worth the vote."

PEP chairman Felicia Holder, in an earlier television panel discussion, said the election was "a referendum on what the country wants." She said it was the first time the PEP had run an election on a national level, despite having fought individual by-elections before. "This is really a testing ground for us."

She said the election had shown Alexander as "a man who gets things done," an example emulated by PEP candidates taking responsibility in this election, such as arranging the removal of piles of garbage.

NTA leader Gary Griffith, in a television interview, said the party had "gone into the belly of the beast" to fight in well-established PNM seats. He said in the 31 seats fought by the NTA, the PNM had previously won a total tally of 41,000 votes compared to 13,000 previously won by the UNC. He said the NTA was just a year old.

Griffith said in a couple of seats, such as La Florissante/Lopinot in the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, the NTA had come very close behind the PNM.

He concluded, "It is still very early. I don't think you are going to expect any miracles."