After holding its elections despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley, has claimed victory on behalf of his ruling party. The general elections were held on Monday, where Rowley secured what seems to be a second term as official election results are expected to be released later in the week.
According to Reuters, preliminary results showed the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) won 22 of the 41 electoral seats, while the opposition United National Congress (UNC), led by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, won 19 seats.
Before the official results expected on Tuesday, Rowley, while speaking to reporters on Monday admitted that while the circumstances surrounding the elections were not ideal as a result of the global pandemic, the party was happy to be called once again “to the service of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Holding An Election In Dark Times
The people of the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago voted across 2,200 polling stations from 6:00 am, Trinidad time, in 41 constituencies in the country. This went through despite an election campaign limited by protocols related to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Еlесtіоnѕ аnd Воundаrіеѕ Соmmіѕѕіоn (ЕВС) in Trinidad and Tobago, about 1,134,136 vоtеrѕ were еlіgіblе tо vоtе at Monday’s polls. сhооѕing frоm аmоng 19 роlіtісаl раrtіеѕ аnd fоur Іndереndеnt саndіdаtеѕ. The elections also witness a slightly prolonged voting process as officials had to work to ensure social distancing and hand sanitization are practised by voters and authorities in the polling stations.
The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) also worked closely with authorities from the Ministry of Health to ensure health guidelines are established for the electoral process.
Trinidad and Tobago, which has been officially closed to travel since March, has registered a relatively low total of 280 cases of the virus and 8 deaths – a fact the ruling PNM heralded as a testament to its successful handling of the outbreak.
