PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Long-serving Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) President Azim Bassarath will seek a fifth term in office when elections are held at month-end.
According to the Trinidad Express newspaper, Bassarath said he has “unfinished business” and will be in search of a fresh mandate to continue the work done by his executive when members vote on October 30.
“We wanted to do much more development work during this term, but because of COVID, it curtailed our activities. The cricket was now getting back on stream to where we wanted it to be and we have seen great progress from some of the young cricketers, so that has motivated me to go back again,” Bassarath said.
“We have 16 young players who were engaged in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 camp, so that has motivated a lot of people who will be seeking re-election.”
The election date was set on Saturday, according to the newspaper, at a virtual special general meeting during which proposed changes to the TTCB constitution were discussed and approved.
The changes included extending the term of the president from three to four years, and limiting a president’s time in office to two consecutive terms, while allowing them to run again once they have been out of office for at least one term.
There will also be no same-day nominations for elections, and contenders for posts must be submitted two weeks before the vote. October 14 and 15 have been set as the nomination days for the upcoming elections.
An elections committee will also now oversee the elections.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley announced on the same day of the TTCB meeting that his government was giving consideration to allowing some sports activity to resume, and said that matter would be addressed in another two weeks.
There has been no local cricket competition since March 2020.