The Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) tomorrow will hold its first public meeting since the September 7 general election date was announced by the Prime Minister last week.
Venue is at Piggott’s Corner, Belmont, from 7.30 pm. The venue has been a traditional site for PNM meetings.
PNM general secretary Ashton Ford also said the party was holding an internal meeting to decide on a date this week for screening nominees for Chaguanas East, the last seat in which PNM has to put a candidate in place.
PNM’s other 40 candidates have been campaigning since last year after the party began selecting candidates in seats since last September.
The United National Congress (UNC), the majority coalition partner of the People’s Partnership (PP) Government, held its campaign launch at UNC’s Rienzi Complex headquarters, Couva, last night.
The party is expected to hold weekly Monday night forums until screening of its nominees are completed, officials said. Nominations of potential candidates have been extended to June 26.
UNC so far has received over 500 nominees, UNC general secretary Dave Tancoo said yesterday, adding: “It’s been going very well and from the rate of receipt, I can safely say we expect a boost in nominations closer to the deadline.”
Congress of the People (COP) chairman Jamison Bahadur said the party’s strategy team was meeting last night to finalise its negotiating team to meet with the UNC and other PP units on selection of candidates. He said the COP had received nomination forms from 37 people to date.
However, Tunapuna MP Winston Dookeran, unlikely to contest, is expected to speak about his future very soon, sources said.
Independent Liberal Party political leader Jack Warner said yesterday he would launch his second candidate for La Brea at a meeting there on Thursday. His first candidate—Nigel Reyes for Lopinot—was announced at a meeting in that area last week. Warner said he will also be speaking at a meeting in San Fernando West on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independents will meet this week to finalise which seats, about 12, it intends to contest and will launch its policies, focusing heavily on a national security thrust, on June 23.
A motorcade is also planned from Diego Martin to Arima as part of its campaign launch.