UNC fills slate – Jearlean John picked for Couva North, David Lee up for Caroni Central

THE UNC has completed its 39-candidate slate to contest the upcoming general election just hours before the prospectives file their nominations.

The new candidates were announced by the party's political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar at a crime townhall meeting at Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas on April 3.

The new candidates announced were Nigel Moses for Arima, Shivanna Sam for Cumuto/Manzanilla, Dr Colin Neil Gosine for Chaguanas West, Jearlean John for Couva North, Keiron Thomas for Diego Martin Central, Rodney Stowe for Laventille West, Dominic Alexander Smith for Mausica/Malabar, Kirt Sinnette (COP) for Port of Spain South, Gerard Small (COP) for St Ann's East and Sean Sobers for Tabaquite.

There were some returning faces to the lineup, however, the switches continued. Former Oropouche West MP Dave Tancoo would now contest Fyzabad. The former Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe would now contest Oropouche West.

While the former Pointe-a-Pierre (now called the constituency of Claxton Bay) MP David Lee was replaced by Hansen Narinesingh, Lee would now contest the Caroni Central seat, held previously by UNC's Arnold Ram.

Over the weekend former Princes Town MP Barry Padarath was selected to contest the Couva South constituency while Dr Aiyna Ali would contest Padarath's former seat.

Persad-Bissessar said she would return to fight for her Siparia constituency.

The full list of candidates under the coalition between UNC/PEP/COP/LOVE/OWTU:

Aranguez/st Joseph – Devesh Maharaj

Arima – ­Nigel Moses

Arouca/lopinot – Dr Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj

Barataria/San Juan – Saddam Hosein

Caroni Central – David Lee

Caroni East – Dr Rishi Seecharan

Chaguanas East – Vandana Mohit

Chaguanas West – Dr Colin Neil Gosine

Claxton Bay – Hansen Narinesingh

Couva North – Jearlean John

Couva South – Barry Padarath

Cumuto/Manzanilla – Shivanna Sam

Diego Martin Central – Keiron Thomas

Diego Martin North/East – Brendon Butts (PEP)

Diego Martin West – Janice Learmond-Criqui (PEP)

Fyzabad – Dave Tancoo

La Brea – Clyde Elder

La Horquetta/Talparo – Phillip Watts

Laventille East/Morvant – Robert Mitchell (Love Movement)

Laventille West – Rodney Stowe

Malabar/Mausica – Dominic Alexander Smith

Mayaro – Nicholas Morris

Moruga/Tableland – Michelle Benjamin

Naparima – Dr Narindra Roopnarine

Oropouche East – Roodal Moonilal

Oropouche West – Dr Lackram Bodoe

Point Fortin – Ernesto Kesar (OWTU)

Port of Spain North/St Ann's West – Phillip Edward Alexander (PEP)

Port of Spain South – Kirt Sinnette (COP)

Princes Town – Dr Aiyna Ali

San Fernando East – John Michael Alibocus

San Fernando West – Michael Dowlath

Siparia – Kamla Persad-Bissessar

St Ann's East – Gerard Small (COP)

St Augustine – Khadija Ameen

Tabaquite – Sean Sobers

Toco/Sangre Grande – Wayne Sturge

Trincity/Maloney – Richard Smith

Tunapuna – Roger Alexander