UNC MEDIA RELEASE - UNC ALERTS THE PUBLIC TO MORE DISTURBING SPECIAL VOTING ERRORS, AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FROM THE EBC - 17 APR 2025
UNITED VOICE
UNITED NATIONAL CONGRESS
31 Mulchan Seuchan Road, Chaguanas
The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Phone: (868) 636-8145/9923 Email: uncofficialcommun...@gmail.com
MEDIA RELEASE
To: All Editors
From: UNC Communications
Date: 17th April 2025
UNC ALERTS THE PUBLIC TO MORE DISTURBING SPECIAL VOTING ERRORS, AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FROM THE EBC
The United National Congress (UNC) expresses grave alarm and deep concern over a continuing series of multiple irregularities, breaches of procedure, and communications failures by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) in the 2025 General Elections process.
The UNC will continue to ensure that these breaches are recorded and corrected, and that a free and fair election will be conducted in Trinidad and Tobago, according to the highest international standards.
NEW ISSUE: TEN BALLOTS ERRONEOUSLY INCLUDED IN TUNAPUNA – RETURNING OFFICER REFUSES TO ACCOUNT
On Tuesday 16 April, the UNC was informed that ten (10) ballots for Special Electors were wrongly included in the list for the Tunapuna constituency.
When UNC representatives sought clarification from the Returning Officer and the EBC regarding:
- The total number of ballot papers furnished by the EBC;
- The number of ballots issued for Tunapuna;
- The number of ballots not issued;
- The number and status of the Special Ballot Box presented,
— the Returning Officer refused to provide this basic and essential information.
The UNC views this refusal as an unacceptable breach of transparency and accountability, and we intend to dispatch an immediate letter to the EBC to register our formal objection and to demand full disclosure of the above information without delay.
SPECIAL VOTING DATE AND VENUE CHANGED, WITHOUT NOTICE TO UNC
Equally troubling, Special Voting was rescheduled from Tuesday 15 April to Wednesday 16 April, yet the EBC provided no official notice to the UNC of this change — no confirmation of date, time, or venue was given in a timely or consistent manner.
This prevented the UNC from adequately participating in or observing a vital part of the Special Voting process.
In addition, the UNC was informed by a Special Voter who arrived on the rescheduled date (16 April) that no EBC representative was present at the stated venue during the allotted time. This caused a delay of over one hour and further confusion for voters already dealing with an extremely narrow voting window.
EBC CHANGED LETTER DATES AND FAILED TO PROVIDE TIMELY COMMUNICATION
Even more disturbing was the handling of EBC correspondence.
- At 6:51 PM on 16 April, following queries from the party, the UNC received an email from the EBC containing a letter dated 10 April, purportedly giving information about Special Voting. However, this letter was never previously received.
- Then, at 7:34 PM, the UNC received the same letter again, but this time it was dated 16 April — raising troubling questions about the integrity, accuracy, and internal processes of the Commission.
Despite this correspondence, the EBC has yet to respond substantively to our queries, including a failure to clarify why the same letter was issued with two different dates and why it had not been communicated in advance, as required.
UNC OFFICIALS NOT PROVIDED ACCESS TO SPECIAL VOTING VENUES
In addition, these Special Voting venues have been secured to facilitate persons engaged in offshore petroleum operations.
However, these locations are at specially secured sites, to which UNC officials do not have access. The EBC has not provided UNC election officials with access to these facilities, and voting has begun already.
UNC DEMANDS URGENT ACTION AND FULL ACCOUNTABILITY
The UNC has placed all of these concerns on official record through correspondence to the EBC. We reiterate that these developments:
- Undermine the transparency of the Special Voting process;
- Obstruct the ability of political parties to participate fully and meaningfully in the electoral process;
- Erode public confidence in the credibility of the election.
We call on the EBC to:
1. Immediately account for the ten erroneous ballots in Tunapuna;
2. Provide the full and requested breakdown of ballot numbers;
3. Explain and correct the failures in communication about Special Voting;
4. Ensure that no future date, venue, or procedural changes are made without formal and timely notification to all contesting parties.
This election belongs to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, not to any political party or partisan administrator. The UNC will continue to stand guard over the democratic process, expose wrongdoing wherever it arises, and fight tirelessly to ensure that this election is conducted with full integrity, transparency, and accountability.
INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS
The UNC has called for international election observers since last year. Special voting has begun and the observers are not yet here. We call on the observers to arrive and commence operations as soon as possible.
These issues will certainly be brought to the attention of the international election observers when they arrive, and we will insist that already committed breaches be rectified.
Dr. Kirk Meighoo
Public Relations Officer
United National Congress
757-3489
Attachments: Correspondence with the EBC regarding Special Voting, and irregularities