Campaign closes for UNC, PNM – Voting time

THE intense six-week-long general election campaign came to a close on April 26 for the main political parties contesting it, holding their closing public rallies, motorcades and other events ahead of election day on April 28 where over 1.1 million people are eligible to vote.

The incumbent PNM was at the Eddie Hart Savannah in Tacarigua, one of its traditional political stomping grounds, around 3 pm. Prime Minister Stuart Young and PNM political leader Dr Keith Rowley were listed as the feature speakers for that event.

To the west and at the same time, the UNC assembled at the Aranguez Savannah. This was the political birthplace of the UNC in 1989 under its founder and then political leader Basdeo Panday.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was the feature speaker at that UNC rally.

The sequence of events which led to the calling of the election began on March 16 when the PNM officially presented its full slate of 41 candidates in Woodford Square.

At midnight on the same day, Rowley resigned as prime minister.

Young, 50, was sworn in as prime minister on March 17.

Section 77 of the Constitution states when a prime minister is either reappointed or a new prime minister is appointed, government ministers automatically relinquish their posts.

This saw a cabinet reshuffle on March 17, with most of the members of Rowley's cabinet retaining their posts.

But there were some notable changes.

Reginald Armour was replaced by Camille Robinson-Regis as attorney general after he agreed to accept a temporary judicial post in the Eastern Caribbean.

Former finance ministry permanent secretary and UK High Commissioner Vishnu Dhanpaul replaced Colm Imbert as finance minister. Imbert was appointed public utilities minister. He is standing for re-election as Diego Martin North/East MP.

Marvin Gonzales, who was the previous public utilities minister, replaced Fitzgerald Hinds as national security minister.

Hinds, who was appointed a Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), withdrew his nomination to be considered as a candidate for his former Laventille West constituency. Kareem Marcelle is the PNM's Laventille West candidate.

On March 18, Young advised President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve the Parliament and announce April 28 as election day.

While the move took some people by surprise, Young said the decision to call the election for that time was a strategic one.

The election was not a snap election because it happened in a year when it was already constitutionally due.

General elections in Trinidad and Tobago are held every five years. The last general election was held on August 10, 2020. This means 2025 is the year the next election is constitutionally due.

It needed to be held by August 10. But if it was not, the law allowed for it to be held within three months, making November the latest time it could be held. Snap elections only happen if they are held in the years they are not constitutionally due.

This has only happened four times – 1995, 2002 and 2010 (under Patrick Manning), and 2001 (under Basdeo Panday).

Since he was appointed prime minister and during the election campaign, Young's focus has been on writing a new chapter for TT and ushering in a new era of change in government with him at the helm of an energised PNM.

This is the second time in TT's history an incumbent government has a new prime minister to lead it into an election.

The first happened in 1981 when George Chambers was appointed prime minister after the death of Dr Eric Williams.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 73, is seeking her second stint as prime minister.

She was prime minister from May 24, 2010-September 7, 2015.

Unlike the PNM's 41 candidates, the UNC has 34 candidates.

An additional five candidates, under the UNC coalition, come from the People's Empowerment Party (PEP), Congress of the People (COP), representatives of the labour movement and others formed in December 2024.

The selection of UNC candidates was not without controversy when it came to four former UNC MPs – Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, Dinesh Rambally and Dr Rai Ragbir – who publicly questioned Persad-Bissessar's ability to lead the UNC to victory in the election.

Rambally and Ragbir, withdrew from the nomination process, claiming its integrity was flawed.

They both subsequently resigned from the UNC.

Paray and Haynes-Alleyne were screened but not selected as candidates.

Before nomination day on April 4, some incumbent MPs were either shifted to contest constituencies they did not represent or were not considered at all.

The former included Barry Padarath (Princes Town to Couva South), Davendranath Tancoo (Oropouche West to Fyzabad) and Dr Lackram Bodoe ( Fyzabad to Oropouche West).

The latter included Ravi Ratiram and Arnold Ram who were not selected to stand for re-election in Couva North and Caroni Central respectively. UNC deputy leader Jearlean John, a former opposition senator, was chosen as the UNC's Couva North candidate.

The campaign has focused on the respective qualities of Young and Persad-Bissessar as leaders.

The PNM has questioned Persad-Bissessar's physical and mental health and decision-making, concerning her ability to serve as prime minister in challenging times.

The UNC has questioned whether Young is experienced to serve as prime minister and if his style of governance will be similar to that of Rowley's.

The PNM and the UNC have each accused each other of engaging in voter intimidation and voter suppression tactics to win the election.

The campaign has seen people aligned to the PNM and UNC switch sides.

Ragbir and longtime UNC member Larry Lalla, SC, have appeared publicly at PNM meetings.

Former PNM government ministers John Jeremie and Kennedy Swaratsingh have appeared at UNC events.

Outside of the PNM and UNC, the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) and the Patriotic Front (PF) have the potential to be spoilers in the election, taking critical votes away from both parties, even if they do not win any constituencies.

This is the first general election for both parties.

The former, led by former police commissioner and national security minister Gary Griffith, has 17 candidates in the election.

Patriotic Front, led by Mickela Panday, has 37 candidates in the election.

Panday, the daughter of UNC founder and former prime minister Basdeo Panday.

In Tobago, the election is being contested by seven political parties, including the PNM, Tobago People's Party (TPP) and Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP)

Two observer teams arrived in TT last week for the election. One team is from Caricom and the other is from the Commonwealth.

In a statement, the police said they are investigating reports of voter intimidation and voter suppression in the election campaign but noted the disclosure of a threat to disrupt the polls appears to have spoiled those plans.

A North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) survey released on April 26 showed the election is up for grabs, with the votes in nine marginal constituencies determining the result.

The election could either be won by the PNM or the UNC.