A historic 17 percent of voters went to the polls for the Local Government General Election (LGE) in Trinidad last Monday. More than one million people registered to vote with the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
The ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) in Trinidad won seven corporations including four Borough Corporations (7) in the Local Government Election (LGE) on Nov. 28, while the opposition United National Congress (UNC) took six corporations. There was a tie (4-4) in one of the Corporations in East Trinidad.
It was a tight victory for the PNM. In 2013, a historic 452,013 faced the polls (or 43 percent) to vote in that Local Government General Election in Trinidad.
Four other smaller political parties failed to win a seat. All their candidates lost their deposit.
It was a close victory for the PNM as the UNC bounced back after failing in the 2015 general election.
However, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said it was a “fantastic win” despite the low voter turnout.
He said the PNM did well and the election demonstrated that the country understood the difficult economic situation that the PNM inherited
Persad-Bissessar told cheering UNC supporters that she had asked the people to send a message to the Rowley government that there was too much pain and suffering and it is time for change.
She said the UNC had managed to wrest 12 seats from the PNM in the election and promised to look out for the needs of the “small man.”
The LGE was seen as a referendum on Rowley’s performance after a year in office and Persad-Bissessar who had lost nine elections since her defeat in 2015.
