RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
With general elections looming just a year ahead, the Elections and Boundaries Commission has unveiled significant recommendations, including the renaming of five constituencies and alterations to 16 more constituencies in Trinidad and Tobago.
This was revealed as the EBC’s 2024 Report on the review of constituency boundaries dated March 13, 2024, was laid in Parliament yesterday.
Based on the report, Arouca/Maloney will become Trincity/Maloney, D’Abadie/O’Meara will be renamed Malabar/Mausica, Lopinot/Bon Air West will change to Arouca/Lopinot, St Joseph will become Aranguez/St Joseph, and Pointe-a-Pierre will be called Claxton Bay.
The EBC also suggested maintaining the current number of constituencies, with 39 in Trinidad and two in Tobago.
The commission advised against altering the boundaries of 23 constituencies in Trinidad and maintaining the configuration of the two constituencies in Tobago.
However, the EBC proposed alterations for 16 constituencies in Trinidad, including transfers of polling divisions to optimise representation. Some of these alternations were in Caroni Central, due to the transfer of a Polling Division from the constituency to Tabaquite. In Tabaquite, the EBC also proposed changes due to the transfer of another Polling Division from Caroni Central and the transfer of another Polling Division to Pointe-a-Pierre.
In Pointe-a-Pierre, changes were proposed due to the transfer of a Polling Division from Tabaquite.
In Cumuto/Manzanilla, the transfer of a Polling Division to La Horquetta/Talparo warranted alterations while in La Horquetta/Talparo, changes were recommended due to the transfer of a Polling Division from Cumuto/Manzanilla.
Similar transfers of Polling Divisions were listed for Port-of-Spain North/St Ann’s West, Laventille West, Port-of-Spain South and Laventille East/Morvant.
In San Fernando East, two polling divisions were transferred from Oropouche East while two more were transferred from San Fernando East to San Fernando West. Furthermore, the commission proposed that the names of 36 constituencies remain unchanged.
The 147-page report also detailed outlines of the constituencies, both altered and unaltered, along with the distribution of polling divisions by constituency.
The EBC said its recommendations aim to ensure fair and equitable representation for all citizens.
According to the Constitution, the electorate in any constituency should not be more than 110 per cent or less than 90 per cent of the total of the island divided by the number of constituencies.
Parliament is expected to consider the report.
Just last week, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar claimed victory after the decision to lay the EBC report in Parliament was announced.
Persad-Bissessar had been calling for the report to be laid questioning what she called a delay on the part of Government.
In a press release, the Opposition Leader said, “This follows my recent threats of legal action and a formal query to the EBC.”
The UNC had said the report was due in March.