Jack says another byelection coming soon; says ILP membership has crossed 41,000

41,000 members in 14 days: Jack Warner

Jack Warner said Friday night there is going to be another byelection soon and predicted it would have to be held around the same time as the Local Government Elections.

The life of the municipal corporations end on July 26. All corporations would be automatically dissolved on that date and the election must be held not later than October 26.

A seat in Parliament become vacant on the resignation of the MP and must be declared vacant by the Speaker during a sitting of Parliament. At the present time Parliament is prorogued and no date has been set for the start of the fourth session of the 10th Parliament. It is only after the Speaker declares the seat vacant that the 90-day countdown to the byelection begins.
Speaking at a political meeting in Chaguanas Warner said, "I am advised that after this Chaguanas West byelection when the Parliament is re-convened there will be another resignation for which another bye election must also be held within 90 days of the member of Parliament's resignation." 

He did not say which of the MPs would resign. There is speculation that it would be Herbert Volney who was fired for misleading his cabinet colleagues about the Section 34 matter. Since then he has been sitting as a government backbencher and does not take instructions from the House Leader. His most recent vote in Parliament was against the government in the Dangerous Dogs bill, which the PNM supported.

 

Volney has been a vocal critics of his former cabinet colleagues and has chided Warner for wanting to make his new party a member of the People's Partnership.

Warner also announced that in the two weeks since he launched his Before doing so, however, I wish to advise you that our present Party membership has crossed 41,000. 

He said people from all across the country want to join. The interim leader of the ILP said he plans to open offices in Pointe a Pierre, San Fernando, St Joseph, Dabadie, Rio Claro, Diego Martin, St Anns, Fyzabad, Tabaquite and at a later date in Tobago.

He also announced that three elected officials have joined his party - Clinton Jennings from the Arima Borough, Winston Ramsaroop from the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation and Danan Singh from the Chaguanas Borough.