COP, UNC working on seat allocation for unity deal for election

The leaders of the Congress of the People (COP) and the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) are out of the country, but their deputies have confirmed that the parties are yet to work out final details of a unity arrangement.

COP's Acting Political Leader Wendy Lee Yuen and the UNC's Dr Suruj Rambachan have been quoted in NEWSDAY as saying that there have been no further discussions beyond the agreement in principle between that the parties would contest the election as a united front.

COP is holding a meeting of its constituency executives Monday to mobilise for general elections. COP leader Winston Dookeran is on a lecture tour in India and is expected home in a few days.

UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is returning to Trinidad Monday from a fund raising event in Florida.

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is chairing the UNC's unity team, which comprises the party's three deputy political leaders and deputy chairman.

Rambachan told the media Sunday he is confident that whatever formula is worked out for a UNC/COP coalition will be one that would be able to withstand the tensions of governing.

One formula that has been proposed is for the UNC to contest the 15 seats it currently holds with the rest allocated to the parties on the basis of which one placed second in 2007.

In such an arrangement, this is how the numbers look:

• Official result - PNM: 26; UNCA 15; COP 0
• Second Place - UNC 23, COP 16, TUF-DAC 2

The UNC fought the election as an alliance and won 15 seats with just under 30 per cent of the popular vote.

It came second in the marginal constituencies of Chaguanas East, Point-a-Pierre, Barataria/San Juan, St Joseph and Princes Town South/Tableland but dropped to third place in Tunapuna, which the party held in the 2000 election.

It also came second in some traditional PNM areas like La Brea and Lopinot/Bon Air West and La Horquetta/Talparo.

COP polled 148,000 votes and won 22.72 per cent of the popular vote but won no seats.

It came second in 16 of the 41 constituencies and was strongest in the three Diego Martin seats, Arima, Point Fortin, San Fernando West and St Augustine, which was previously held by COP leader Winston Dookeran in the 2002 election when he ran as a UNC candidate.