KYRON REGIS
kyron.regis@guardian.co.tt
PNM candidate for Tunapuna Esmond Forde has said that there was no real difficulty this morning about the voting process at the St. Mary’s Anglican Primary School in Tacarigua.
In an interview with Guardian Media Ltd (GML) Forde said: “No one left, no one made noise.” Nonetheless, Forde alluded to a very long line.
Describing the process he said: “When I came out this morning I saw one long line, but then there are four polling divisions situated in this school but they did not separate each line, therefore the line was running all along the Main Road.”
According to Forde, it was only after officials recognized the length of the line that the police officers and the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC) agents decided that they were going to separate the long line into four lines, which shortened the entire process.
Forde likened the process on the inside of the school to any other general or local government election except for social distancing and sanitizing.
He added: “The process basically was just like any other election, the only difference is that I was sanitized before I entered the room and then we have to keep our lil’ social distancing and move up accordingly.”
Regarding the health protocols and guidelines being observed, Forde said that as far as he was concerned, everyone had on their masks.
According to data from the EBC on all national elections held since the start of the 21st century, the political party that wins Tunapuna normally wins the general election.
Since 2000 the political party that won the Tunapuna constituency eventually went on to win the General Election.
Currently, Forde is stacked against UNC Candidate David Nakhid, Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) contender Maurice Downes and Trinidad Humanity Campaign (THC) candidate Marcus Ramkissoon.