Trinidad and Tobago elections: Opposition sails to win

Opposition in the Caribbean twin nation Trinidad and Tobago won a decisive victory in the parliamentary elections on Monday, preliminary results suggest.

The victory of the Centered United National Congress (UNC) party means that Kamla Persad-Bisezar will be appointed as a next Prime Minister.

The 73-year-old already held the post once before, from 2010 to 2015, but her party was defeated in the last two elections by the National Movement of the National Center (PNM).

Preliminary results suggest that UNC, which is a promise to raise salaries and employment, has succeeded in winning a number of parliamentary places, previously owned by PNM.

PNM leader Keith Rowley leaned defeat late on Monday, saying it was not good night for his party and that it was clear that she had lost the election.

75-year-old Rowley was Prime Minister from 2015 until March this year when he announced that he was retiring and awarding the reins to the power to 50-year-old Energy Minister Stuart Young.

But instead of serving the rest of Rowley’s term, Young called Snap choices just hours after he was sworn as a prime minister.

This move is widely regarded as an attempt by Young to provide a stronger mandate against the background of criticism of the opposition that his rise to the Prime Minister is unconstitutional.

The election came at a time when the country was struggling to increase the killings and an economic decline.

The output government declared a state of emergency in December, which remained in force for 105 days.

During his campaign, Persad-Bisezar promised to raise salaries for public sector workers who are struggling to meet increasing costs of life.

It was a problem that he turned again after the ruling party leaned defeat.

“This victory is for elderly citizens to retain their pensions. This victory is for government officials to receive their legitimate salaries. This victory is to reopen the Children’s Hospital. (…) This victory is again to give laptops to our children and to create over 50,000 jobs,” she told supporters who have gathered at the party.

She also assured the assembled that “no one” would be left behind, emphasizing that “when UNC wins, everyone wins.”