COP to establish committee to negotiate seats for LGE

The Congress of the People (COP) is establishing a special committee to negotiate the number of seats it would contest for the Local Government Election (LGE) as part of the People's Partnership.

There had been speculation that the party might opt to run candidates alongside those of its main coalition partner, the United National Congress (UNC). However COP Leader Prakash Ramadhar put that to rest on Sunday.

Speaking at a media briefing following a COP national congress, Ramadhar said he would leave all the details to the committee. "I know you want to know whether we will get this or we will get that. I would leave that to the committee we would put together, to do those negotiations and we would report to the nation the success or lack of it thereof,” Ramadhar said.

Ramadhar said he has asked the the COP's chair Carolyn Seepeersad-Bachan to communicate with the chairmen of the other partners in the Peoples Partnership to start discussions on Local Government election "and start the negotiating process for the determination of seats early enough so that preparations can be made and not left to the last moment when negotiations are really done in an environment of haste and with the lack of maturity."

The UNC, COP and NJAC are the three parties that could run candidates since the other coalition partner, The Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) is would not be involved in the Trinidad election as a party fielding candidates.

Ramadhar said in the last LGE the negotiating process was "rather rushed". He also said COP want to nominate candidates who are committed. “Show us the kind of work you have done in your community, rather than just say you belong to a party and that you should be given priority before everybody else", he said.