PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) -Trinidad and Tobago’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) says it is confident that Monday’s general election will be conducted in a safe environment as more than one million voters cast their ballots for electing a new government in the twin island republic.

“Our team has worked diligently to ensure that every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote safely and confidently as they participate in this vital democratic exercise,” aid the EBC’s chief elections officer, Fern Narcis-Scope.

The EBC has confirmed its readiness for the elections following “extensive planning, rigorous training, and collaboration with stakeholders to execute what is perhaps the single most logistically complex exercise a country can undertake”.

The EBC said that all 2,316 polling stations have been established and are equipped with the necessary staffing, materials and supplies and that inspections have been conducted to ensure that each location meets high standards of accessibility, functionality, and safety.

“Under the stewardship of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), the Commission has collaborated with the police to ensure that robust security arrangements have been instituted to safeguard voters, election personnel, and the integrity of the electoral process.”

While there are 161 candidates and 17 political parties contesting the 41 seats in the Parliament, the race as it has been over the past decades, will be a straight fight between the incumbent People’ National Movement (PNM) and the main opposition United National Congress (UNC).

There are an estimated 1,154,708 persons who are eligible to cast ballots with the polls being observed by teams from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Commonwealth.

Polling stations opened at 6.00 am (local time) and will close 12 hours later.

Prime MInister Stuart Younghas described Monday as “a decisive day,” and in a video posted on his Facebook page said he was encouraging voters to vote.

“Join me as we build a new Trinidad and Tobago on a stable platform. Join me as we write a bold new chapter,” the 50-year-old senior counsel said in his first election as head of the ruling PNM.

UNC leader, Kamla Persad Bissessar, is urging voters to remove the PNM from office, describing Young as a “fake leader”.

“Go out and vote for the candidates of the UNC coalition of interests on election day. Your future and that of your loved ones are in your hands,” she said, adding that her 73-year-old body “has aged from the years of battering, bruising, humiliation, ridicule, abuse and insult”.