Election
tidbits
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
11 11 07
On
Monday last the ruling PNM won 26 out of the parliamentary
41 seats, compared
to the UNCA’s 15 seats and none for the COP.
The votes cast were PNM-299,813; UNCA-194,425;
COP-148,041; and DAC 8,801. The PNM won 63 percent
of seats, with 46 % of votes cast.
• The
voting figures showed 342,466 voted against the
PNM. But 494,238 (PNM and UNC) voted
against the COP and 447,854 (PNM and COP) voted
against UNC.
• The
PNM won each of five marginal seats with less
than half of the votes cast. These are
Barataria/San Juan (PNM 44%: Opposition 56%), Chaguanas
East (PNM 43%; Opposition 57%), Pointe-a-Pierre
(PNM 43%; Opposition 57%), Princes Town South/Tableland
(PNM 49%; Opposition 51%), and St Joseph (PNM 47
%; Opposition 53%).
• But
even if the UNCA and COP had worked together,
a united Opposition might have won five
extra seats, but the final result would still have
seen the PNM winning 21 seats; and Opposition-20
seats.
• In two other seats a combined Opposition
vote would have come within striking distance of
the PNM — San Fernando West (PNM 50.39%:
Opposition 49.61%) and Tunapuna (PNM 52%; Opposition
48%).
• The UNCA vote collapsed spectacularly
in several urban areas of North Trinidad. These
were PoS North/St Ann’s West (UNCA 305 votes,
2.50%);
PoS South (UNCA 573 votes, 4.97%); Diego Martin
Central (UNCA 582 votes, 3.76%); Diego Martin West
(UNCA 513 votes, 3.34%); and Laventille West (343
votes, 2.86%).
• The
COP won 23% of votes cast, similar to the ONR
in 1981 and like that ill-fated party,
failed to win a single seat.
• The COP placed second in 21 seats, or
half of TT’s 41 seats. Of these, COP was
second in 14 PNM seats (including the PNM stronghold
of Laventille West), and second in seven UNC seats
(including Naparima).
• In
Trinidad (but not Tobago) most COP candidates
won at least the requisite 10% of votes
cast to keep their deposit.
• The three-way split hurt each leader of
the two Opposition parties. In contrast to PNM
leader Prime Minister Patrick Manning retaining
the 10,000 votes he had won in 2002, UNC leader
Basdeo Panday saw his vote crash from 14,000 in
2002 down to 8,832 on Monday, while COP leader
Winston Dookeran’s fell from nearly 11,000
in 2002 to a second-placed 7,043 this year.
• Voter-turnout
fell drastically from 70% in 2002 to just 56%
on Monday.
• None of the leaders of the “parties” allied
to the UNC won their seats. NAR’s Dr Carson
Charles, DNA’s Dr Kirk Meighoo, DPTT’s
Steve Alvarez, LFL’s Lennox Smith and YesTT’s
Christine Newallo-Hosein all lost.
• The UNCA won three seats by very small
margins over its nearest (PNM) rival. Harry Partap
won Cumuto/Manzanilla by just 337 votes, Chandresh
Sharma won Fyzabad by just 371 votes, and Winston “Gypsy” Peters
won Mayaro by just 450 votes
• All
but one of the many pollsters failed miserably
to predict this election. The most accurate
was Nacta, which correctly predicted a PNM win
with UNCA second, and COP third with no seats.
• The other pollsters — CADRES, Ryan
and Ansa McAl Psychological Research Centre at
UWI — were way off the mark predicting the
COP in a neck and neck race with the PNM and also
predicting only five percent support for the UNC.failed
miserably to predict this election. The most accurate
was Nacta, which correctly predicted a PNM win
with UNCA second, and COP third with no seats.
Story
by Sean Douglas from
Trinidad's Newsday
Sunday, November 11 2007
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