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The politics of Trinidad and Tobago function within the framework of a unitary state regulated by a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,from which the country gained its independence in 1962. Under the 1976 republican Constitution,the monarch was replaced as head of state by a President chosen by an electoral college composed of the members of the bicameral Parliament,consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The United National Congress is one of two major political parties in Trinidad and Tobago and the current parliamentary opposition. The UNC is a centre-left party. It was founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday,a Trinidadian lawyer,economist,trade unionist,and actor after a split in the ruling National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). After spending six years in opposition,the UNC won control of the government in 1995,initially in coalition with the NAR and later on its own. In the 2000 general election,the UNC won an absolute majority in the Parliament. In 2001,a split in the party caused the UNC to lose its parliamentary majority and control of the government. From 2001 to 2010,the UNC was once again Parliamentary Opposition party. In May 2010,the UNC returned to government as the majority party in the People's Partnership. The UNC's Political Leader,Kamla Persad-Bissessar,was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Kamla Persad-Bissessar was Prime Minister from 2010 until 2015.
The People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of Trinidad and Tobago's history,contesting all elections since 1956 serving as the nation's governing party or on four occasions,the main opposition. As a result,it has sometimes been referred to as Trinidad and Tobago's "main political party". There have been four PNM Prime Ministers and multiple ministries. The party espouses the principles of liberalism and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar;born Kamla Susheila Persad,22 April 1952),often referred to by her initials KPB,is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer,politician and educator who is the Leader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago,political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) political party,and was the sixth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 26 May 2010 until 9 September 2015. She was the country's first female Prime Minister,Attorney General,and Leader of the Opposition,the first woman to chair the Commonwealth of Nations and the first woman of Indian origin to be a prime minister of a country outside of India and the wider subcontinent.
Gillian Lucky is a Justice of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Judicature for Trinidad and Tobago. She was previously a High Court Judge,Director of the Police Complaints Authority,and a Member of Parliament for Pointe-à-Pierre.
Basdeo Panday is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer,politician,trade unionist,economist,actor,and former civil servant who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first person of Indian descent along with being the first Hindu to hold the office of Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North,Panday served as Leader of the Opposition five times between 1976 and 2010 and was a founding member of the United Labour Front (ULF),the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR),and the United National Congress (UNC). He served as leader of the ULF and UNC,and was President General of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers' Trade Union.
The Congress of the People (COP) is a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Its current political leader is Kirt Sinnette. Its symbol is the "Circle of Circles".
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 5 November 2007. Nomination day was 15 October. Five parties contested the elections;the ruling People's National Movement,the official opposition United National Congress–Alliance,the Congress of the People,the Tobago United Front–Democratic Action Congress and the Democratic National Assembly. Five independent candidates also ran.
Surujrattan Rambachan is a Trinidad and Tobago politician,academic and cultural activist. He was the Works and Infrastructure Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and deputy political leader of the United National Congress Party (UNC) and member of parliament for Tabaquite.
Camille Robinson-Regis is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer and politician,representing the People's National Movement. She was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Arouca South in 1992 and is the current Member of Parliament for Arouca/Maloney. She is the Minister of Planning and Development,the Lady Vice-Chairman of the People's National Movement,and the Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives.
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday,10 August 2020,to elect 41 members to the 12th Trinidad and Tobago Republican Parliament. It was the 14th election since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 and the 22nd national election in Trinidad and Tobago ever. Tracy Davidson-Celestine,political leader of the Tobago Council of the People's National Movement (PNM) became the first woman to lead a Tobagonian political party with representation in the House of Representatives. Additionally,two of the three largest parties elected in 2015,the United National Congress (UNC) and the Congress of the People (COP),were led by women.
Christine Carla Kangaloo is a Trinidadian politician,who is the president of Trinidad and Tobago since 2023. She was president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 until her resignation to run for president in 2023. She is the only person to serve as both President and Vice President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago,the first woman to serve as Senate Vice President and third woman to serve as acting President of Trinidad and Tobago and Senate President. She became the second woman to serve as President of Trinidad and Tobago upon her assumption of office on 20 March 2023. Kangaloo has served as an Opposition Senator,Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister,Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Science,Technology and Tertiary Education in previous People's National Movement governments.
The 2020United National Congress internal election was held on Sunday,6 December 2020,after Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar,the current leader of the UNC,faced losses commencing in January 2013 with the wipeout of her People's Partnership-led administration from the Tobago House of Assembly at the 2013 election,loss in the 2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election and loss in the 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election. The candidates for political leader were incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Team Star against former member of parliament for St. Augustine and former Minister of Trade,Industry and Investment in the People's Partnership's government,Vasant Bharath,on Team Lotus. Former senator and Minister of Transport in the People's Partnership's government,Devant Maharaj,was an early candidate for political leader,but was never formally nominated as he dropped out on nomination day on the 15th of November 2020,citing irregularities in the voting process. He endorsed Vasant Bharath and Team Lotus. Kamla Persad-Bissessar won with of 87.15% of the votes,while Vasant Bharath got 12.85% of the votes.
Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and former leader of the Congress of the People. She was a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for San Fernando West from 2010 until 2015.
Shamfa Ashaki Cudjoe is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the People's National Movement. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Tobago West since the 2015 general election. She is the current Minister of Sport and Community Development.
Khadijah Ameen is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the United National Congress. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for St. Augustine since the 2020 general election. She is the current deputy political leader of the UNC and the Shadow Local Government Minister.
Tabaquite is a parliamentary electoral district in Trinidad and Tobago in the south-west of Trinidad. It has been represented since the 2020 general election by Anita Haynes of the United National Congress.
Esmond Irving Forde is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the People's National Movement (PNM). He has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Tunapuna since the 2015 general election. He is the current Deputy Speaker of the House.
Garvin Edward Timothy Nicholas is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and former diplomat. He served as a temporary Opposition Senator representing the United National Congress (UNC) in the 8th Republican Parliament and the 10th Republican Parliament. He was the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2010 until 2013 and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Trinidad and Tobago to Denmark,Finland,Norway,Sweden and Germany. He served as the Attorney General for Trinidad and Tobago from 3 February 2015 until 17 June 2015. He is the leader of the Movement for National Development (MND),a political party which contested the 2020 general election.
The 2023 Trinidadian local elections were held on Monday,August 14,2023,across all 141 electoral districts in Trinidad's 14 municipal corporation electoral areas. The elections follow a 3-2 ruling on May 18,2023,from the United Kingdom's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago's highest court of appeal,which stated that the government's one-year extension of the mandate of councillors and alderman was unlawful.
References
- 1 2 3 "Ms. Anita Haynes, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Parliament. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- 1 2 Baboolal, Yvonne (9 July 2020). "Tabaquite's first woman MP?". Trinidad Express . Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- 1 2 de Souza, Janelle (23 August 2020). "Anita Haynes: The voice of the UNC". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- 1 2 "Senator Anita Haynes | UNC: Tabaquite". Trinidad Express . 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ↑ "UNC gets new PRO". Loop News. 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ↑ Chan Tack, Clint (9 July 2020). "Anita Haynes: No seat is safe". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ↑ Superville, Shane (21 October 2021). "Haynes pleased with return to classrooms but maintains: Health must be priority". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.