Caption: Congress of the People leader Prakash Ramadhar, left, with his wife Jayanti and Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein
By Faith Edwards
THE Congress of the People (COP) has dismissed claims of internal conflict following leadership changes and coalition alignments.
This response comes after a headline in Sunday’s Guardian titled ‘Ramadhar to break silence this week,’ which the party describes as sensational.
In December 2024, the COP attended a coalition meeting hosted by the United National Congress (UNC) ahead of the 2025 General Election. Then acting political leader Kirt Sinnette and public relations officer Imran Ali represented the party, a media release stated on Tuesday.
The discussions were led by then Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Shortly after, Sinnette resigned and Prakash Ramadhar returned as interim political leader, a decision ratified by the National Council of the COP.
The release stated that one of Ramadhar’s first acts was to exit the MOU with the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) and HOPE, aligning instead with the UNC and other partners.
When the election was called, the COP joined the Coalition of Interests (COI), contesting two seats, Port of Spain South and St Ann’s East, and saw increased voter share in both, the release stated.
It stated that throughout the campaign, COP members supported coalition candidates via walkabouts, cottage meetings and outreach.
The party stated that claims of issues between its leadership and the COI were baseless and meant to stir controversy.
It stated that Ramadhar revitalised the party and that the COP remained focused on rebuilding constituency executives and engaging in advocacy.
The COP’s two candidates continue to serve as shadow MPs in their constituencies.
Ramadhar said, “It’s not where we sit but where we stand, and we stood against the PNM.”
The COP congratulated Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, MPs and Senators and wished success to the new House Speaker and Senate President.
The party stated that it was confident Persad-Bissessar’s administration will reverse the socio-economic decline left by the PNM, and pledged continued support and cooperation with its coalition partners.
