(Trinidad Express) Today is V-Day. “V” for Voting, which some 1,099,205 electors are eligible to do. And “V” for victory, which only one side will celebrate later tonight. The magic number is 21, there being 41 seats up for grabs in this electoral contest.
Voting starts at 6 a.m. sharp and ends at 6 p.m. All persons who are in the line by 6 p.m. will be able to cast their ballot. There are 1,547 polling divisions in the country.
Special voting was supposed to close on Friday, but due to problems with this process, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) extended the time to yesterday.
There are three main contenders in this race—the ruling People’s Partnership (contesting as comprising the United National Congress, the Congress of the People and the National Joint Action Committee); the Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Independent Liberal Party (ILP).
Over the last 12 weeks, these three parties have been working the ground in all 41 constituencies, holding public meetings, conversations with the people, rallies and motorcades.
Yesterday the active canvassing and campaigning effectively ended, with music trucks on the road blaring the campaign songs of the various parties.
Today there is to be no canvassing and campaigning, and party symbols cannot be displayed within 100 yards of any polling station.
There are two observer teams here for this election—one from the Commonwealth and the other, a 12-man team from Caricom.
For all the passion that existed on all sides, the campaign was peaceful and cordial. The two massive rallies on Saturday, in which supporters of the rival parties criss-crossed each other, saw good-humoured exchanges devoid of hostility, which continues to be one of the best features of Trinidad and Tobago politics.
Given the economic climate in which the fall in energy prices is a major feature, whoever forms the incoming government will have the challenge of presenting a budget within a few weeks of its swearing in.
Today’s election would be Keith Rowley’s and Jack Warner’s first general election as leaders of their respective parties and therefore their leadership is on test.
Though it is Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s second time facing a general election as leader, in this “Kamla 2015” campaign, she has been made a key focus and therefore the outcome of tonight’s poll will provide a critical assessment of her as leader as well.
Pollster for the Express Nigel Henry has pointed to a close race, with a likely scenario of the winner taking 21 or 22 seats.
All eyes will be on the marginal seats of La Horquetta/Talparo; Moruga/Tableland; San Fernando West; Toco/Sangre Grande and Tunapuna since Henry’s Solution by Simulation Ltd (SBS) has stated they are too close to call. These crucial constituencies are likely to make the difference between government and opposition.
Notwithstanding the fact that all SBS has stated is that the election is too close to call, if the high percentage of undecideds break for one side or the another, the outcome could well a definitive majority for the winner.
