Media release

Contact: Martrecia Alleyne Tel.: 637-6966 Ext 309/333-5180 Email: malleyne@chamber.org.tt

October 07, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Trinidad and Tobago Debates Commission (TTDC), an independent NGO, has invited the Senior Party Representatives and Leaders of the political parties/coalitions contesting the 2013 Trinidad and Tobago Local Government Elections to participate in: 2013 Local Government Elections Debates. The Senior Party Representatives Debate and the Leaders Debates are carded for live airing at 8pm on television and radio on Thursday 10 October and Tuesday 15 October 2013 respectively. The main themes for the Debates will be Local Government Representation and Local Government Reform respectively. At the request of the Congress of the People (COP), the TTDC met with Senator Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Chairman of the COP and Mrs. Nicole Dyer-Griffith, COP Deputy Chairman today to discuss their request for participation in the debates. At the end of the meeting the Commission decided that the participants will remain as previously communicated and will include The Peoples Partnership (PP) (representing the coalition); The Peoples National Movement (PNM); The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) and The Movement for Social Justice (MSJ). This was decided on the basis of the TTDCs current Criteria for Participation which states:

the case where two or more parties have agreed to form . alliance of parties to contest the election, the alliance must be represented by a single leader (the Leader) .Only the Leader is eligible for participation in a leadership debate.
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Therefore, the COP will continue to be represented in the debates as part of the Peoples Partnership. However, the views of the COP on the issue of broadening the rules for participation will be considered for future debates. The TTDC believes that the rules for debates are in a constant state of development as new views and circumstances are shared.
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More information on the upcoming 2013 Local Government Elections Debates can be found by visiting the TTDC Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ttdebatescommission or our website www.ttdc.org.tt.

THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO DEBATES COMMISSION

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