Kamla, Dookeran meeting Monday

The 2010 election campaign hits a critical mark Monday with both the People's National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) launching their election campaigns at mass meetings.

There is speculation that PNM leader, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, will announce the date for the general election.

Last week Manning stated that he shut down Parliament to prevent the opposition from slandering his government and he also said that he will announce a date when he wishes.

According to the constitution, he has three months from the date of the dissolution of the Parliament to hold the election. That means that the latest date for the vote is July 8. The earliest date, if he announces it Monday, would be May 17.

Both parties have started screening candidates and are facing some pressure from members regarding nominations. On Monday, the UNC's nominations close and screening begins on Tuesday.

Also on Monday UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar plans to meet with the leader of the Congress of the People (COP) to discuss a unity package.

It comes on the heels an agreement in Tobago for the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) to be the only party to fight the PNM in the island.

TOP believes it can win both seats in the island. The PNM won them in the 2007 general election. Tobago East was the weaker of the two, with the combined opposition getting very close to have the majority of the votes.

COP and the UNC have an agreement in principle to field single candidates against the PNM in the election.

Last week COP deputy leader Wendy Lee Yuen publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of unity negotiations and suggested that the party might have to go to the election alone.

That has led to the resignation of a key COP member, former Couva south candidate Devant Maharaj. Dookeran and Persad-Bissessar will hold a media briefing in St. Augustine Monday afternoon following their discussions.