The Progressive Democratic Patriots(PDP) has won more electoral districts and has also won the popular vote against their nearest rival the Peoples National Movement(PNM) in the concluded Tobago House of Assembly(THA) elections and will take command of the assembly when next it is convened.
A media release from the Elections and Boundaries Commission(EBC) today confirmed: “The Preliminary Results show the Progressive Democratic Patriots winning the Tobago House of Assembly elections, having captured fourteen of the fifteen electoral districts contested.” The People’s National Movement captured their lone seat after a recount was requested in the Darrel Spring/Whim electoral district. Should the result stand assemblyman, Kelvon Morris will assume the role of THA Minority Leader.
However, the EBC also pointed out that the PNM had also asked for a recount in the Buccoo/Mt. Pleasant seat that former Chief Secretary, Ancil Dennis had contested against the PDP’s Sonny Craig. A Nigel Henry poll a few days earlier noted that Dennis had a job performance approval rating of 54 percent and is also the most popular of all the candidates seeking a seat with the highest voter opinion support of 56 percent in the constituency with some five percent of voters still undecided. Recounts for the Buccoo/Mt. Pleasant electoral district began at 3pm today.
Compared to the January 6 elections, when the voter turnout was 51.85 percent, yesterday’s election result saw a voter turnout of 57 percent. That makes it the highest since the 2013 clean sweep at the polls that the PNM managed. At that time the voter turnout was 70 percent.
According to the EBC, yesterday’s elections saw the PDP capturing the popular vote with 16,932 votes while the PNM was able to amass 11,943 or close to 5000 votes less. As a percentage, the PDP had a 33.08% turnout and the PNM 23.33%.
The other three political parties that put their hats in the political arena alongside the PDP and the PNM: The Innovative Democratic Alliance, The Class Action Reform Movement and The Unity of the People only amassed 301 votes with The Innovative Democratic Alliance taking the lion’s share with 295 votes. Unity of the People got 6.