Although President Bharrat Jagdeo may be constitutionally barred from seeking a third term as President of the Republic, nearly half of the population would still like to see the President re-elected for another term according to opinions obtained from a nationwide poll conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association in July.
But a third of the people oppose the idea of the President staying in office beyond his term limit. If Jagdeo were to be the PPP/C presidential candidate at the next election, voters feel he would easily win re-election as they do not think the choices available from among the opposition parties can defeat him.
With the President having only two more years remaining in his term of office, NACTA polled voters on whether Jagdeo should be given another term in office as well as to obtain their views on other current issues. The poll was conducted by Vishnu Bisram for NACTA in mid July. The poll interviewed 780 voters to represent the demographic composition of the population with a margin of error of 4%.
According to the findings of the poll, voters are not very excited with the Presidential choices available to them from among the opposition camps and as such do not overwhelmingly object to Jagdeo serving another term at the helm of the nation.
Asked whether Jagdeo should be allowed to seek another term as President, 47% said yes while 31% said no with 22% offering no responses or saying they are not sure. Many among the not sure category say they will vote for Jagdeo if he were to be the candidate suggesting he would likely win another mandate because the alternatives are not considered viable.
The President remains well liked particularly among rank and file PPP/C supporters who see him as a “performer” while not reposing similar confidence for the President’s colleagues in the PPP/C.
They say they find him personable and approachable. They also say they often have to seek the President’s intervention for a solution to their concerns describing him as a “super Minister”. Some of them note that the President often listens to their grievances and adopts a “take charge” approach in resolving their problems.
One reason many voters give for supporting Jagdeo for another term they are uncertain whether the other presidential aspirants will be as successful as him in maintaining “the development” policies of the last couple decades.
Many non-PPP supporters also say they like Jagdeo personally but are not pleased with some of his cabinet colleagues and some individuals who surround the President. They believe the President should make some changes.
Those who oppose the idea of the President serving another term feel the President has served his time and should allow others to have a chance to be elected President.
In general, voters say if Jagdeo were the PPP/C candidate for the 2011 election, he would comfortably win re-election over a divided opposition. Voters feel the opposition parties, individually, are too weak to defeat the PPP/C and do not view them as alternatives. Voters on both sides of the political divide feel the PPP/C will still come out on top in the next election even if Jagdeo is not the Presidential candidate.
