The PNM won nine of the 14 municipal corporations, the opposition United National Congress (UNC) 4, with a tie in Rio Claro/Mayaro. This was a big improvement for the PNM on the previous local government elections, in 1999, which resulted in the parties taking seven municipalities apiece.
Of the 126 electoral districts, the PNM won 83 and the UNC 43. The PNM also won an historic three districts in the UNC heartland borough of Chaguanas.
The unprecedented swing of UNC voters to the PNM has mounted pressure on UNC leader Basdeo Panday to step down. Panday's image has been tarnished by corruption charges.
Manning said that the PNM would reward the former UNC supporters whose backing propelled the PNM to victory. He said that the result showed there was now inter-racial solidarity in the country: 'I believe that it was the first time that a political party in Trinidad & Tobago has been able to cross the ethnic divide entirely on its own efforts and not by way of coalition arrangements.'
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