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FINANCE Minister Davendranath Tancoo declared "the PNM has fallen" after no opposition MP rose to respond to a government speaker during a marathon budget debate in the House of Representatives around 2 am October 18.

The debate ran from 10 am on October 17 to 2.22 am on October 18, is set to resume on October 21 at 10 am with a detailed examination of revenue and expenditure by the Standing Finance Committee.

The debate had kicked off with opposition leader Pennelope Beckles replying to Tancoo's budget presentation, and the sitting consisted of 14 speakers in all, alternating between opposition and government MPs consecutively until reaching Claxton Bay MP Hansen Narinesingh, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training.