Trinidad and Tobago: All Set for Monday’s General Election

Political campaigning ended in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday ahead of its general elections on Monday, for which a total of 1,134,136 persons are registered as electors.

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Major parties contesting the polls led motorcades across the twin-island republic as social distancing rules to stem the spread of COVID-19 prevented the holding of rallies.

The ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) is contesting in all 41 seats, while the United National Congress (UNC) is running for 39, and 28 will be contested by the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP). 

Polls open at 6 am under the law, “every employer shall permit each elector in his employment to be absent from his work on polling day during the hours of the poll for two hours in addition to the normal midday meal hour.”

Voter turnout was 66.8 percent during the 2015 general election though this year’s poll comes amid the coronavirus and rainy weather.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley says the PNM has the experience to tackle the difficult challenges ahead, described as “the double shock of an oil and gas price collapse caused by a price war among the world’s largest producers and a global recession caused by the worldwide public health restrictions arising from COVID-19.”