Trinidad & Tobago’s United National Congress (UNC) has taken legal action by filing an election petition in the High Court concerning a disputed ballot in the country’s Lengua/Indian Walk electoral district.
The party argues that the rejection of this ballot requires immediate determination, as it could potentially impact the election results.
The Lengua/Indian Walk electoral district was initially declared for the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the August 14 local government elections.
Recount results in a tie
Following a recount conducted between August 15 and 16, both the PNM and UNC candidates, the Rev Autly Granthume and Nicole Gopaul respectively, were found to have received 1,428 votes each, resulting in a tie.
Rejected ballot
During the counting process, a ballot in favor of the UNC was rejected on the grounds that it lacked the initialing by the presiding officer and a polling station number.
In a statement, UNC Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the ballot was rejected “despite the objections of the UNC representatives present” at the count.
“At the recount, a ballot which with a clear vote for the UNC candidate but which did not have the presiding officer’s initials came up again for scrutiny. That ballot was again rejected by the returning officer, despite the UNC’s objections.”
She further said that the EBC’s officials not marking the ballot as “questioned” meant the UNC candidate could not request a check of the results and a final determination of that questioned ballot.
More on Kamla Persad-Bissessar
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC MP – Trinidad & Tobago’s sixth and only female Prime Minister
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar Calls on T&T Gov’t to Prevent “Possible Food Crisis”
Declaration of void election
On August 19, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) declared the election for the Lengua/Indian Walk electoral district void, citing election rules that necessitate a declaration of void when there is an equality of votes between leading candidates.
Petition filing and importance
Attorney Vishaal Siewsaran filed the election petition on behalf of petitioner Denecia Gopaul-Jones of Moruga, emphasizing that the petition needs to be determined before a fresh election can be held.
The outcome of the petition will determine if a new election is necessary or if a clear winner can be declared.
The petition not only affects the petitioner but also the entire electorate of the Lengua/Indian Walk electoral district.
The absence of a representative on the Municipal Corporation Council and the lack of representation for the electorate are significant concerns.
UNC’s affidavits
The petition includes affidavits from Gopaul-Jones, election agent Alvin Lutchman, counting agent Ashley Badal, and UNC candidate Nicole Gopaul, supporting the claim that the disputed ballot should have been counted.
EBC’s explanation
According to EBC chief election officer Fern Narcis-Scope, the ballot’s rejection was justified since it lacked the presiding officer’s initials and a questioning of the decision did not occur at the time.
If a by-election is held for Lengua/Indian Walk, regardless of the outcome, the Princes Town Regional Corporation would remain evenly split between the UNC and PNM.
However, a PNM victory would mark the party’s first presence in the Princes Town Regional Corporation since 1999.
 has taken legal action by filing an election petition in the High Court concerning a disputed ballot in){kind=link}