PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Tuesday October 22, 2013, CMC – The coalition People’s Partnership Government appeared heading for a third consecutive defeat in political battles on Monday three years after it swept both the general and local government elections in 2010.
Preliminary results, late Monday , indicated that the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) won eight of the 14 municipal corporations in Monday’s local government elections with coalition winning the other corporations.
Opposition leader Keith Rowley said the results showed that the coalition government has collapsed and is calling for a general election now.
“The government has collapsed, we are on our way to winning a general election “ said Rowley as he addressed supporters .
“We have won and we have won handsomely” he added.
The other parties in the local government elections – the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the New National Vision, failed to make any significant in roads.
However, the ILP, led by former National Security Minister, Austin “Jack” Warner won at least two council seats.
This is the first time that proportional representation had been used in any election in the twin island republic and the final results of the election will not be known perhaps until the next 48 hours.
The coalition has suffered defeats in the Tobago House of Assembly (TBA) poll and the Chaguanas West by-elections this year and it now faces another uphill task in the St Joseph by-election on November 4.
Rowley said the PNM will begin to campaign in earnest on Tuesday for the St Joseph seat that became vacant after former Justice Minister Herbert Volney was stripped of the seat after he informer speaker of the House , Mark Wade that he had resigned from the United National Congress, the biggest partner in the coalition.