No celebration at PNM HQ as officials count ballots in LGE

Officials are counting votes in Monday's Local Government Elections, the first such election in seven years.

Early results suggest the People's Partnership is ahead in the areas where the party had strong support in the general election two months ago.

Analysts suggest that the real victory for the governing coalition would be winning the Port of Spain City Corporation. They say that would signal that PNM supporters have accepted the leadership of the People's Partnership and rejected the new leadership of the PNM.

The LGE is also a test of the strength of the Congress of the People (COP), which is a partner in the governing coalition.

COP ran its own campaign in several areas where it fielded candidates in addition to working on a joint campaign with the other main partner, the United National Congress under the leadership of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

There is a celebratory mood at the Rienzi Complex headquarters of the People's Partnership with crowds of supporters arriving for what is expected to be a landslide victory.

However over at the headquarters of the opposition People's National Movement (PNM) the opposite is the case.

Reporters at Balisier House say there is no sign of any plan for a celebration and there are more reporters at the location than officials.

Earlier in the day a top PNM official admitted to reporters that the PNM doesn't expect to win the election.