The governing People’s Progressive Party-Civic is training its eyes on the strongholds of the opposition People’s National Congress at the upcoming Local Government Elections.

PPP General Secretary, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo today announced that his party was stepping into full campaign mode for the local elections and has its eyes set on taking municipal control of the City of Georgetown and the towns of Linden and New Amsterdam.

The elections are set to take place on the 12th June.

During a press conference today at the party’s Freedom House, Headquarters, Mr. Jagdeo said his party already has solid support going into the elections and given that national support, it is hoping that the people at the local level will give the PPP an opportunity in those areas that were previously won by the opposition PNC.

“We are hoping that in the city and other areas like New Amsterdam areas that we have never controlled before like Linden—since independence these areas have been controlled by PNC administrations with very little support for the people that they serve”, Jagdeo said.

In making his case for widespread support across the country, Vice President Jagdeo said the Central government has been forced to do a number of road and other works in the local municipalities controlled by the Opposition.

“At least the whole city is taken over by the Central government, it’s all done by the government. All the City Council does and these other areas they just collect taxes and spend on wages and salaries. So we are hoping to change all of this, the same level of dynamism and accountability that we brought at the national level, we can do so at these municipalities but we need to get an opportunity to,” the PPP General Secretary said.

City officials and officials in other municipalities where the Opposition has control have often complained of being starved of resources from the Central Government. In the case of Georgetown, the City Mayor has repeatedly pointed out that the Central Government is among some of the big tax defaulters in the city, and that starves the municipality of needed resources.

Still, Jagdeo believes that it is time for change in those areas.

“So we are making the case for the citizens of the city and these other areas, not to vote on the basis of history but to vote on the basis on track record, that is what we have been arguing for,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

Mr. Jagdeo said the party’s Central command team will be meeting shortly to assess candidates across the country. He explained that the party has not yet settled on candidates for the various local government areas. However, he wants to see citizens come out in support of the PPP in their local government areas on elections day.

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