More than one million voters in Trinidad and Tobago will head to the polls on Monday in a highly anticipated general election that opinion polls suggest is too close to call.
While 161 candidates representing 17 political parties are vying for the 41 seats in Parliament, the race, as has been the tradition for decades, is essentially a straight fight between the incumbent People’s National Movement (PNM) and the main opposition United National Congress (UNC).
The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) says it’s ready for the day, with 1,154,708 registered voters expected to cast ballots at 2,130 polling stations across the twin-island nation. “We are fully prepared,” assured Fern Narcis-Scope, Chief Executive Officer of the EBC.
This election will also mark the first time voters cast their ballots under new constituency boundaries, after the EBC redrew the lines for 16 constituencies and renamed five. Leading up to election day, the Commission faced a few bumps, including dealing with a falsified document that falsely linked the Chief Election Officer and several Returning Officers to a political party. The EBC firmly rejected what it called “baseless claims” and warned that such disinformation threatens the integrity of the electoral process.
Adding to the tensions, law enforcement authorities reported they are investigating incidents of voter intimidation and voter suppression. Acting Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin revealed on Saturday that intelligence had uncovered plans to influence voter turnout through inducements, intimidation, and threats. However, he said police interventions appear to have thwarted any disruptive actions.
Crime and the state of the economy have been the dominant issues throughout the campaign, resonating deeply with voters in a country grappling with security challenges and financial uncertainty.
The Trinidad election will be monitored by observer teams from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth, as citizens head to the ballot box to decide the country’s future.
