Siparia, Trinidad and Tobago — United National Congress (UNC) leader Kamla Persad Bissessar is claiming early victory for her party in Monday’s general election, even as official results are still pending.
Persad Bissessar easily retained her Siparia seat — a constituency she has represented since 1995 — securing 9,565 votes according to preliminary figures. Her main challenger, Natasha Mohammed of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM), garnered 1,921 votes, while Judy Sookdeo of the Patriotic Front failed to pick up any.
“First let me thank Almighty God. We have had a very, very clean campaign, very strong campaign. I feel very confident of a very good result,” the 73-year-old former prime minister told supporters shortly after the early numbers were announced.
Standing before her constituents, Persad Bissessar declared, “Siparia [is] safely won. So I can declare the first seat in this election.” She added that feedback from other constituencies was “very, very good,” suggesting that the UNC is on track for a broader national win.
“The trend is looking very good for us, and I think we are set to win this general election,” she said, extending thanks to coalition partners who played a role in the campaign. She emphasized that Tobago’s results were looking strong for the UNC and that the party was performing well in marginal constituencies as counting continued.
Speaking with CNC3 News before heading to the UNC headquarters, Persad Bissessar further stated, “I can’t say how many [seats] but I know it’s a victory. We have retained our 19 seats and we are picking up two or three other marginals … and Tobago has won clear as well.” She ended her remarks with a confident rallying cry: “When UNC wins, everybody wins.”
With official results still pending, the PNM also conceded the general election. Speaking with the media, PNM leader Dr. Keith Rowley said, “From all reports, we have conducted an election, things have gone very well with the processes, the results are coming in now, and from what we have coming in, it is clear that we have lost the election.”
More than one million voters turned out for what had been billed as a highly competitive election, with many polls predicting a race too close to call. Seventeen political parties and three independent candidates are contesting the 41 seats in Parliament. However, as has been the case for decades, the real battle lies between the UNC and the incumbent PNM.
This election comes after a period of rapid political change. Prime Minister Stuart Young, who assumed office in March following Dr. Keith Rowley’s resignation, called the snap election shortly after being sworn in and announcing a reshuffled Cabinet.
As of now, the Election and Boundaries Commission has not yet released the official results.
 leader Kamla Persad Bissessar is claiming early victory for her party in Monday’s general election.){kind=link}