Swearing-In of Prime Minister Patrick Manning in pictures

TriniView.com Reporters
November 8, 2007

Patrick Manning received a majestic welcome from thousands of PNM supporters who ventured to Woodford Square to witness the first ever public swearing-in of a Prime Minister. This historic occasion took place on Wednesday 7th November, 2007, and was not without controversy as members of the Opposition party, the United National Congress, summed up this event as another dictatorial scheme on the part of the People’s National Movement. Nevertheless, many people disagreed, regarding the moment as sacred and monumental where the people were able, firsthand, to witness the ceremonial coming into office of their elected leader.
Continue to: ‘Manning Officializes in Princely Style’

Newly Appointed Government Ministers
November 08, 2007

Manning Officializes in Princely Style
Patrick Manning received a majestic welcome from thousands of PNM supporters who ventured to Woodford Square to witness the first ever public swearing-in of the Prime Minister.

‘He’s like a prince’
…Woodford Square crowd gives PM royal treatment

Manning sworn in US Presidential-style
In an American-styled swearing-in ceremony the likes of which this country has never seen, President George Maxwell Richards was yesterday upstaged by Patrick Manning who became the first person to take the Prime Ministerial oath at historic Woodford Square.

Let’s move on as one family—PM
Prime Minister Patrick Manning has assured that there will be neither alienation nor victimisation following Monday’s general election in which his People’s National Movement (PNM) won…

Patrick’s day in the Square
Prime Minister Patrick Manning was mobbed by crowds of screaming well-wishers who stretched their hands across barriers to touch and even kiss him after his historic swearing-in at Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain yesterday, where he earlier promised a greater role in his government for women.
Continue reading Manning Sworn-in at Woodford Square →

Prime Minister Patrick Manning

Woodford Square for PM swearing in…
PNM leader Patrick Manning will this afternoon take the oath of office as Prime Minister for another term, standing in the unprecedented setting of Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain–the traditional “stomping ground” of his People’s National Movement party…

PNM: 299,813 UNC-A & COP: 342,466
Preliminary figures from the Elections and Boundaries Commission show that 653,882 electors cast their votes during Monday’s General Elections from the 990,352 eligible to vote.
Out of the 653,882 electors 651,576 votes were valid and 2,306 were rejected.
The 2007 electorate increased by 115,092 from the 2002 electorate of 875,260. As for the number of votes cast the figure increased by 44,311 from the 2002 amount of 609, 571.

EBC: Lower turnout than 2002 election
The People’s National Movement (PNM), despite winning the election and gaining six more seats, has lost some of its support and has not grown in popularity in the past five years.
Figures from the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) for Monday’s polls show that the PNM got 299,813 votes, 8,949 fewer than in the 2002 general election.
Overall, the PNM also lost more than five percentage points of the popular vote on Monday as compared to 2002.
Continue reading Woodford Square for PM swearing in… →

PNM Patrick Manning, UNC-A Basdeo Panday and COP Winston Dookeran

Trinidad and Tobago General Elections 2007:

Preliminary 2007 Election Results

Victorious Candidates and Constituencies

PNM romps home
With the lion’s share of the marginal seats in its back pocket, the People’s National Movement led by leader Patrick Manning handed the United National Congress Alliance (UNC A) and the Congress of the People (COP) a stinging defeat in yesterday’s general election, walking away with 26 out of a total of 41 seats.

PNM 26 UNC 15 COP 0
Trinidad and Tobago yesterday voted to “step up” with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the People’s National Movement.

Manning to supporters: Put aside differences
Coffee Street was transformed into a Carnival-like atmosphere last night as the People’s National Movement won the two San Fernando seats and the general election…

PNM back in Govt
Heading to Government for another term, the People’s National Movement (PNM) completed yesterday’s general election race with preliminary results of 26 seats over the United National Congress’ (UNC-A) 15 seats…
The total registered electorate was 990,352.
EBC estimates put yesterday’s voter turn-out at around 53 per cent. This was at midnight, when boxes of ballots were still coming in.
The voter turnout in the 2002 election was approximately 69 per cent.
Continue reading T&T General Elections 2007 Unofficial Results →

Basdeo Panday, Patrick Manning and Winston Dookeran

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
October 28, 2007

As TnT becomes fully embroiled in the 5th November general elections euphoria, some overt, scary symptoms of political immaturity seem to have gone astray in its body politic.

Indeed, while on the one hand, Calypsonian Winston “Gypsy” Peters is still being tarred and feathered for contesting elections on a UNC – Alliance ticket, on the other hand, one finds that in 2007, the political seas are calm, unruffled and smooth as Chutney artiste Heeralal Rampartap is contesting the same elections on a PNM ticket. What’s wrong with this picture?
Continue reading Political Immaturity in TnT →

By Stephen Kangal
October 26, 2007

There is widespread consensus among more than 75% of the electorate that indicated that the current PNM Administration has failed T&T again. With windfall energy revenues derived from our second oil bonanza they could not provide caring, effective, transparent and accountable governance to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. They are not up to the task of governing equitably in a plural society to the benefit of all the diverse people of T&T. South of the Caroni River, inter alia, is now isolated, endangered and neglected even though our patrimony comes from there.
Continue reading Some Issues and Ideas Confronting the Electorate →

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
October 21, 2007

While Dr. Selwyn Ryan should be lauded for his “Trinidad elections of 2007” survey that was published in The Daily Express on 17 October 2007, however, there were certain outdated, rejected and expunged societal references/classifications of people that this writer felt compelled not only to correct but also to put in their historical context for the edification of the general TnT population.
Continue reading Updating historical societal classifications →

by Raffique Shah
Sunday, October 21st 2007

Basdeo Panday, Patrick Manning and Winston Dookeran

If only politicians on all sides of the divide would stick to the facts, given the “goods” they have on each other, or on individual targets, they could sway people’s opinions infinitely more than when they spew lies like a person purged. In fact, because character assassination and mauvais langue are easier for not-too-bright speakers to use, these are rampant on almost every platform. And please, don’t confuse the above with “picong”, which is good Trini humour that teases and tickles crowds, hence invaluable to good speakers. The late Dr. Eric Williams was a master of picong. Pretenders to Eric’s throne have no sense of humour. They are mere comics.
Continue reading Lies, damn lies and politics →

Fitzgerald Hinds and Keith Rowley

Party insiders accuse political leader and Prime Minister Patrick Manning of attempting to remake both the party and the system of government to perpetuate his own brand of leadership. They contend that the Manning-conducted purge of the new PNM old guard has more to do with a perceived lack of loyalty to the leader than to any popularity contest.

There are claims too of a failed Manning attempt to attack, by proxy, his main political rival in the PNM and MP for Diego Martin West, Dr Keith Rowley. Insiders believe that Manning was part of a conspiracy to take Rowley out on the Landate affair.
Continue reading The Manning factor in the mix →