The People’s National Movement (PNM) has selected Signature Hall owner Adam Hosein to contest the Caroni Central seat for the upcoming general election, and five other candidates were also selected on Wednesday, according to the party.
Hosein was selected by the PNM’s screening team, headed by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
A PNM release yesterday detailed the results of Wednesday’s screening exercise, where nominees for six more areas held by the United National Congress (UNC) were interviewed at PNM’s Balisier House, Port-of-Spain headquarters.
The PNM issued a call for nominees for nine UNC-held constituencies in June and subsequently for nominees for the other ten UNC-represented areas. The party has been screening people since August.
Hosein has been a PNM member since 2012 and Signature Hall is a well-known venue in Central Trinidad.
Caroni Central is currently represented by UNC MP Arnold Ram, the UNC’s Elections Officer.
Ram has filed nomination papers with the UNC to contest the seat again. The UNC’s screening will begin after the current budget debate is finished later this month.
A PNM statement also confirmed that candidates were also selected on Wednesday for Mayaro (Beatrice Bridgelal), Tabaquite (Anil Ramjit), Couva South (Roshan Ramcharan), Chaguanas West (Winston Mahabir) and Couva North (Brent Maraj)
Officials said Bridglal is an insurance executive, Ramjit is an engineer/businessman, Mahabir is a pastor and Ramcharan a utilities worker/plumber. They did not give an occupation for Maraj.
People selected are deemed prospective until their candidacy is formalised by meeting the Election and Boundaries Commission’s Nomination Day processes. This usually takes place three weeks before an election.
The six people selected by the PNM on Wednesday add to eight other PNM candidates already chosen.
The PNM recently announced prospectives for Pointe-a-Pierre (Mukesh Ramsingh), Barataria/San Juan (Dr Muhammed Ibrahim), St Augustine (Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal), Chaguanas East (Richie Sookhai), Caroni East (Leena Rampersad), Moruga-Tableland (Lisa Atwater), Fyzabad (Kheron Khan), Cumuto-Manzanilla (Nadia Ramtahalsingh).
With people selected for 14 of the 19 UNC-held areas, the PNM now has to choose candidates for Siparia (held by UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar), Oropouche East (held by UNC deputy leader Roodal Moonilal), Oropouche West (held by UNC chairman Dave Tancoo), Princes Town (MP Barry Padarath) and Naparima (held by Rodney Charles, who is retiring). The party is yet to issue a call for nominations from the 22 constituencies it holds.
Yesterday’s PNM media statement said screening exercises for other constituencies and calls for nominations for more seats will take place “shortly.”
But yesterday, UNC campaign officials said, “The cut tail is solidly booked. Whatever the PNM thinks its chances are in Mayaro or other UNC-held areas, it has to remember that this is not 2020, or 2015.
“People have had ten years of this PNM Government and they are bearing the scars of this battle all over—on their person and psyche after home invasions and murders in families, in their purses and wallets from high prices and in their children’s schools and playgrounds. Whatever votes the PNM got in Mayaro or elsewhere in UNC areas in 2020, they could expect to get even less for the upcoming general election.” - Gail Alexander