A female lawyer appeared poised to make history yesterday in Trinidad and Tobago’s high-risk snap elections called by Trinidad Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who heads a five-party coalition, led in the last opinion polls, after a close campaign in the energy-rich Caribbean nation.
The 58-year-old is hoping to become Trinidad and Tobago’s first woman prime minister while Manning is seeking a fourth term.
Lines of people began forming outside polling stations before they opened at 6am as the Elections and Boundaries Commission called for voting to take place peacefully. About 3,000 police deployed to oversee the vote.
Some 1.1 million eligible voters in the nation of 1.3 million are allowed two hours off work to cast their ballot until polls close at 6pm.
Persad-Bissessar tapped into voter concerns about rising crime and corruption after Manning called the elections mid-way through his five-year term.
The winner needs a simple majority of seats in the 41-member parliament, where the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) now holds 26 seats and the main opposition United National Congress (UNC) has those remaining.
Foreign observers expected little change in energy policy in the oil and gas-rich nation, regardless of who wins.
Politics in the former British colony have long been divided along lines of Indian or African descent, and a handful of swing seats were expected to be key.
Manning’s PNM mainly draws support from Afro-Trinidadians and has dominated politics for half a century.
Persad-Bissessar, from the UNC which largely relies on Indo-Trinidadian backing, is seeking multi-ethnic support in her “People’s Partnership.”
She has a former campaign strategist for US President Barack Obama helping promote her message for change.
The Manning administration has been under fire for spending millions of dollars on giant building projects and for hosting two major summits last year, including the Summit of the Americas attended by Obama.
Critics deplore what they see as wasted resources as well as a lack of much-needed spending on healthcare.
Manning’s supporters laud the 63-year-old’s policies such as free higher education and his long experience.
It was not exactly clear why he decided to dissolve parliament last month, shortly before a vote of no confidence he was expected to win, but also amid corruption allegations — which have hurt both main parties in recent years.
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