The People’s National Movement’s election commission has received several hundred query forms from people who may be added to the final voting list for the party’s May 18 internal election, once they are bona fide PNMites who became members by February 28, says commission vice chairman Murchison Browne. But Browne said yesterday that he could not yet comment on the status of an estimated 3,500 people for whom “Team Penny” officials made representation on Monday.
That day was the deadline for bona fide applicants to send in query forms if their names were not on the preliminary voting list. The preliminary list of 79,363 was approved on April 14 and the final list—after all queries are cleared up—is due to be prepared by today.
The PNM general council and central executive is expected to meet tomorrow on the final list, it is understood.
Team Penny’s Nileung Hypolite said on Monday that as instructed by commission members at a meeting last Thursday, the group had made written representation for over 3,500 people whose names were attached in the letter. He said those people had applied online, before the February 28 membership deadline, and “for one reason or another may not have been on the preliminary list.” Other supporters in recent weeks had said thousands of “Team Penny” supporters were left out of the list.
Formal count today
Yesterday, Browne said while no formal count has been done yet on the total number of query forms received, up to the deadline several hundred names were received and once these met the criteria—of being bona fide members—they will be added to the preliminary list today. As for “Team Penny’s” representation for its 3,500-plus supporters, Browne said he had not yet seen the letter and could not comment on it at that point. He pointed out that the process to lodge the queries was via the query form.
Hypolite said yesterday that the team had done the letter and attachment as advised and handed it to the assistant general secretary of the commission (Mr Louison) on Monday. He said the commission’s chairman also saw him do so that day. Meanwhile, Browne said the commission met on Monday with chairmen and secretaries of PNM constituencies to detail the voting day process and locations of polling stations. This will be done at schools all over T&T.
Incumbent general secretary Ashton Ford, who is contesting on incumbent leader Dr Keith Rowley’s slate, has consistently denied “Team Penny” officials’ claims that an estimated 5,000-7,000 names were left out of the preliminary list. Other Rowley supporters yesterday claimed “Team Penny” did not have that many supporters.