Trinidadians head to the polls today

Polls across Trinidad and Tobago opened early this morning to a steady flow of voters, as citizens in the twin-island Republic turned out to cast their ballots in the much-anticipated general election.

The election season ran for just a short six weeks after the newly appointed Prime Minister, Stuart Young, announced the date just one day after he was sworn into office.

Voters have to choose between the two main political parties, the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) and the opposition, United National Congress (UNC) to decide who will govern the country for the next five years.

Several other parties subsequently signalled their intention to participate in the general election, including the Patriotic Front led by Mickela Panday and the National Transformation Alliance led by Gary Griffith.

In an interview with Loop News Trinidad, Prime Minister Stuart Young voiced strong confidence in his party’s chances of success in today’s general election as he spoke with reporters after casting his vote at the International School of Port of Spain.

Young described the voting process as smooth and efficient.

The Prime Minister noted that he was encouraged by the turnout he had seen so far, noting that there seems to be a lot of interest in this year’s general election.

“What it indicated to me is that democracy is very alive and well and that persons are taking their civic duty quite seriously on this occasion which I am happy to see.”

When asked about the significance of the election outcome for the leadership of the People’s National Movement (PNM), Young stated that a victory is crucial for the country. “I expect that we would continue in governance and I look forward to it.”

Source: Loop News Trinidad