newsday.co.tt UNC/COP/NJAC agree on Local Govt seats By ANDRE BAGOO Saturday, September 28 2013 AFTER weeks of meetings, the People’s Partnership coalition parties have announced an agreement over how the coalition will contest the October 21 local government election. The United National Congress (UNC) will contest eight corporations, the Congress of the People (COP) will contest five and the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) will contest one. The UNC will contest: Couva/Talparo; San Juan/Laventille; Sangre Grande; Mayaro/Rio Claro; Penal/Debe; Princes Town; San Juan Laventille; Siparia; and Sangre Grande. The COP will contest: Arima; Diego Martin; Port-of-Spain; San Fernando and Tunapuna/Piarco. The NJAC will do battle in Point Fortin under the arrangement, candidates in the districts from one party may be allowed to contest under another party’s banner. Additionally, other parties – and even non-governmental organisations – may be nominated on aldermen lists. But only one coalition party will do battle in each corporation for councillors. The coalition is now scheduled to announce its full slate of 136 candidates next week Monday at a rally at Harris Promenade, San Fernando. That rally will come one day after the PNM’s campaign launch at a rally at Woodford Square on Sunday. Monday is also nomination day. Further talks are due to take place over the weekend between the coalition partners to, “firm up” the councillor candidates and the aldermen lists now that the corporations have been allocated, UNC interim chairman Khadjah Ameen said yesterday. Ameen, the outgoing Tunapuna/Piarco corporation chairman faces an uncertain future since her corporation has been allocated to the COP. Ameen said while in theory she may contest a district in the Tunapuna/Piarco corporation under a COP banner or appear on a COP aldermen list, the UNC is yet to determine if this is the appropriate course given the fact of her post of interim UNC chairman. “I am ready to withdraw if it is necessary,” she told Newsday yesterday. “But that decision is yet to be made.” The UNC was last night due to have a central executive meeting at Rienzi Complex, Couva. The COP is also due to have an executive meeting today at its operations centre, Charlieville. Ameen said over the weekend the parties will meet, “to firm up the candidates and the aldermen lists.” Though the COP had reportedly been aiming for seven corporations, COP political leader Prakash Ramadhar yesterday said he was “heartened” by the deal, the outcome of protracted negotiations. “I must congratulate the negotiating teams because I know, being fully abreast and apprised of what was happening, that there were very difficult issues that were dealt with by the negotiating team,” Ramadhar told Newsday. “At the end of which, understanding the larger need for the partnership to endure, as a matter of respect, the COP is quite heartened by the outcome of the negotiations. It shows you can work together even with different points of view. But you give some you gain some. We continue to work together.” visit COP @ coptnt PARTNERSHIP DEAL CorporationParty contesting ChaguanasUNC Couva/Tabaquite/TalparoUNC Princes TownUNC San Juan/LaventilleUNC SipariaUNC Sangre GrandeUNC Mayaro/Rio ClaroUNC Penal/DebeUNC ArimaCOP Diego MartinCOP Port Of SpainCOP San FernandoCOP Tunapuna/PiarcoCOP Point FortinNJAC © newsday.co.tt - newsday.co.tt
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 18:02:03 +0000
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