Few changes after hard

THE Prime Minister was positively glowing on election night and looking quite relieved, as was the Opposition Leader, amid a 2023 local government election result that had something for almost everyone including the two third parties.

The PNM and UNC each retained their seven corporations won in 2019, with the 141 seats within these roughly splitting evenly between the two parties who were both also able to extend their election footing for a few days and are looking ahead to the 2025 general elections by ways of ongoing recounts in two seats amid the spectre of legal action/advice.

UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was able to boast of overwhelmingly winning the popular vote (UNC 173,961 to PNM’s 130,868, respectively down from a 2019 tally of UNC 203,868 and PNM 162,801) while Dr Rowley comfortably survived the prospect of a second-term mid-term protest vote by swing-voters upset at crime and potholes. National Transformation Alliance (NTA) head Gary Griffith, in accommodation with the UNC, did not win any seats but has positioned himself as the country’s third party after just one year of the NTA’s existence, garnering 15,997 votes and earning an alderman seat at the Diego Martin Regional Corporation.

Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) leader Phillip Edward Alexander earned only 5,930 votes yet may stake his importance by having demonstrated the potential spoiler effect of third parties in an otherwise two-horse race. In three of the 14 seats under recount, the PEP vote exceeded the margin of difference between the parties vying for first place, the PNM and UNC.

This also happened for one seat contested by the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).

The Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) polled very low amid one union in its fold, the OWTU, declaring its support for the UNC, while the THC’s promise of “good governance at your fingertips” went up in smoke. The election results brought something for even the naysayers, with turnout at just 30 per cent, the lowest in 43 years and less than the 34 per cent seen in 2019.

Alexander cited this low turnout to make a novel and perhaps maverick call for a rerun of the whole elections.

PNM, UNC lose 30,000 votes each

The PNM and UNC each lost about 30,000 votes from their 2019 tally. Much analysis must be done as to why so many people stayed home.

For example, in the Caura/Paradise/Tacarigua electoral district – in the heart of the Tunapuna constituency which high-profile MP Esmond Forde comfortably won in 2020 by a 3,000-plus margin – UNC co-ordinator Hamlyn Jailal said he had not seen the traditional early rush of PNM to the polls, a point reiterated to Newsday by former UNC alderman Kevan Gibbs who reckoned the PNM’s tally was limited to its base, die-hard supporters.

Rowley had asked for a show of support for local government reform, as he also touted his record in taking the country through the covid19 crisis – both economically and epidemiologically, his ongoing righting of the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals and the prospect of local government reform as funded by a property tax that he promised would be fair and non-burdensome.

His stature, pre-election, was lifted by his hosting of the Caricom heads conference (on top of an earlier Caricom crime symposium) and the visit of the Ashanti king, even as his Government could also bask in the glow of the Commonwealth Junior Games and World Steelband Day.

Persad-Bissessar was able to contrast the Government’s lofty promises of local government reform to the daily realities of rampant potholes and the twin nuisances of water shortages and flooding.

Following a housewife fighting off home intruders with her husband’s licenced firearm, Persad-Bissessar put crime centre-stage of her campaign by urging supporters to “empty the clip” at intruders, and even after the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour chided these remarks as “insensitive,” she repeated the advice at the UNC’s final rally to urge voters to “get on like the Hulk” inside the polling booth.

Griffith, as a former soldier and former commissioner of police, offered his security expertise to several joint UNC-NTA platforms, especially as the UNC has no ex-services individual as its shadow minister of national security.

Warner returns to political life

Jack Warner on a UNC platform at Arima told voters of local problems such as low water pressure at Calvary Hill, displaying a certain “connectedness” to local concerns.

Rowley sought to make himself available in an open-neck, relaxed demeanour and seated on a white leather couch at several venues around the country for a series of Conversations with the Prime Minister.

However, the sea of red jerseys gave more of a flavour of a party meeting rather than a town/cottage meeting for the man/woman in the street in the particular locale.

Recounts took place for 14 seats but changed very little.

In the preliminary count, the UNC won an extra seat on the San Fernando City Corporation by John Michael “Makamillion” Ali Bocas winning Marabella West and the party resisting defector Marcus Girdharrie’s attempt to gift the PNM with his former Marabella South/Vistabella which was won by the UNC’s Sasha Ali.

With control of four seats on the nine-seat corporation, the UNC sought a majority by challenging the result in Cocoyea/Tarouba.

However, incumbent Teresa Lynch won the recount, with PNM 1,207 votes to the UNC’s 1,162.

The UNC’s effort to wrest away the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation by way of recounts also fell flat.

The party had retained its five seats on the 16-seat council and launched a bid for majority control by challenging four results, but to no avail, as all preliminary results remained substantively unchanged.

In Lengua/Indian Walk seat in the Princes Town Regional Corporation – after seeming PNM inroads which Rowley had welcomed in his election night speech – after two recounts, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) said a fresh election would have been be held after a historic tie.

The EBC said in Arima Northeast, the incumbent PNM had written to the Chief Elections Officer asking for a check of the results.

Meanwhile, the country awaits final results which will determine the allocation of aldermen at each corporation, allow for swearing-in ceremonies for new mayors/heads and councils, and allow the launch of a new administrative architecture such as a core executive council of key full-time councillors, with requisite support systems.

Reports are the new mayors will include Chinua Alleyne (Port of Spain, with deputy mayor Abena Hartley), councillor-elect Robert Parris (San Fernando, with deputy mayor Ferri Hosein), businessman Balliram Maharaj (Arima, with deputy mayor Jovan Roberts), Clyde James (Point Fortin, with deputy mayor Kwesi Thomas), and former councillor Akeilah Glasgow (Diego Martin, with deputy mayor Valeshia Sookdar.)

Regional corporations will be headed by Josiah Austin (Tunapuna/Piarco, with deputy Clayton Blackman) and Richard Walcott (San Juan/Laventille, with deputy Kwesi Antoine).

UNC deputy leader Khadijah Ameen on Saturday told Newsday councillors would due to be sworn in this coming week, and then alderman the following week, after which corporation leaders would be voted on.

Lengua/Indian Walk faces do-over

She said the impasse at Lengua/Indian Walk must be resolved to give the eventual winner the right to vote for a chairman.

She said, “You can’t deprive him of a right to vote.”

Ameen said after all votes were tallied in each corporation, the EBC would tell each party how many aldermen they were entitled to, and the parties will notify these names to the EBC, which in turn will pass them on to each corporation. She said she did not get involved in speculation as to names of new chairmen.

Outgoing San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello told Newsday, “Names are being bandied about but the PNM is an organisation with integrity so let’s wait until they make the announcement.”

He said he would always be available to serve the PNM in whatever capacity was required, in a strong hint at being ready to demit mayoral office.

“To a large extent, I’ve done as much as I can do.

“I’ve done some things in San Fernando to deal with the traffic congestion. San Fernando is marked and mapped in a very positive way. “I’d ask who is coming after me to continue some of the work I have done previously.”

Regrello looked forward to the new changes to be brought about by an empowered executive council on the San Fernando City Corporation under local government reform.