PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) won the St Joseph by-election last night handing the ruling coalition People’s Partnership government its fourth consecutive electoral defeat in 2013.
Preliminary figures released by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) showed that the PNM’s candidate Terrence Deyalsingh polled 6 356 votes as compared with 5 577 for Ian Alleyne of the ruling United National Congress (UNC) the biggest partner in the coalition.
Attorney Om Lall, who contested the seat on behalf of the recently formed Independent Liberal Party (ILP) received 1 976 votes, while the independent candidate Errol Fabien polled 300 votes. The other candidate, Michael Lopez, of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) received five votes.
The by-election was occasioned after Speaker Wade Mark on September 9 declared the St Joseph seat vacant after former High Court judge, Herbert Volney, who was elected as parliamentary representative in the 2010 general elections on a UNC ticket, announced he had resigned from the party.
The Kamla Persad Bissessar-led coalition, which originally comprised five parties, but lost the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) last year, lost the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) polls in January, the by-election in Chaguanas West in July and the Local Government elections last month.
