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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 president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander-in-chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976,before which the head of state was the Queen of Trinidad and Tobago,Elizabeth II. The last governor-general,Sir Ellis Clarke,was sworn in as the first president on 1 August 1976 under a transitional arrangement. He was formally chosen as president by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of Parliament on 24 September 1976,which is now celebrated as Republic Day.
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. It is one out of the country's two main political parties. 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.
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England,and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown,appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government,with or without the assistance of a local council. In some cases,this council was split into two:an executive council and a legislative council,and the executive council was similar to the Privy Council that advises the monarch. Members of executive councils were appointed by the governors,and British citizens resident in Crown colonies either had no representation in local government,or limited representation in a lower house. In several Crown colonies,this limited representation grew over time. As the House of Commons of the British Parliament has never included seats for any of the colonies,there was no direct representation in the sovereign government for British subjects or citizens residing in Crown colonies.
Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician.
Trinidad and Tobago elects its House of Representatives on the national level. The head of government,the prime minister,is chosen from among the elected representatives on the basis of his or her command of the support of the majority of legislators. The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 41 members,elected for a maximum five-year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 31 members:16 government senators appointed on the advice of the prime minister,six opposition senators appointed on the advice of the leader of the opposition and nine so-called independent senators appointed by the president to represent other sectors of civil society. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of the members of both houses of Parliament. Other elected bodies include the local government bodies in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly,which handles local government in the island of Tobago and is entrenched in the constitution.
The House of Representatives is the elected lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago,along with the President and Senate of Trinidad and Tobago. The House of Representatives sits at the Red House. It has 41 members,each elected to represent single-seat constituencies. The Parliament is elected with a five-year term,but may be dissolved earlier by the President if so advised by the Prime Minister.
The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. Besides the President of Trinidad and Tobago,it is composed of the House of Representatives,which is composed of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in addition to 41 directly elected members serving a five-year term in single-seat constituencies,and the Senate which has 31 members appointed by the President:16 Government Senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister,6 Opposition Senators appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 9 Independent Senators appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. It is at present the only parliament in the world with an incumbent female President,President of the Senate,Speaker of the House of Representatives and Leader of the Opposition and made history by appointing the Caribbean's first and only transgender parliamentarian on 15 February 2022. As of 20 April 2021,there are only 24 female members,or 32.9% and eight members born in Tobago or 11.0%.
The Democratic Labour Party was the main opposition party in Trinidad and Tobago from 1957 till 1976. That party was the party which opposed the People's National Movement (PNM) at the time of Independence. After several splits brought about by leadership struggles,the party lost its hold on the Indo-Trinidadian community in the 1976 General Elections and was displaced in parliament by the United Labour Front under the leadership of Basdeo Panday,a former DLP senator. The party was the representative of the ethnic Indian community in the country;however Indian Muslims and Christians were said to be less loyal to the party than Indian Hindus.
Ashford Sastri Sinanan was a politician from Trinidad and Tobago who served in various roles prior to and following Trinidad and Tobago’s independence in 1962. Along with his brother,Mitra,Sinanan helped draft portions of Trinidad’s constitution and later went on to serve as the country’s first High Commissioner to India. High office,however,ultimately eluded him:first,in his 1958 bid to become the first Prime Minister of the Federation of the West Indies,a contest that he narrowly lost by 2 seats to Barbados’Sir Grantley Adams;and second,in 1974,when he resigned from his post as High Commissioner to India to found the West Indian National Party (WINP). The WINP ultimately failed to break the 20-year rule of then Prime Minister,Eric Williams.
Keith Christopher Rowley,is a Trinidadian politician serving as the seventh prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago,first elected into office on 9 September 2015 and again following the 2020 general election. He has led the People's National Movement (PNM) since May 2010 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2010 to 2015. He has also served as the Member of the House of Representatives for Diego Martin West since 1991. He is a volcanologist by profession,holding a doctorate in geology,specializing in geochemistry.
Joseph Emmanuel Carter was a Trinidad and Tobago civil servant and politician. He served as President of the Senate between 1990 and 1995.
Pennelope Althea Beckles-Robinson is a Trinidad and Tobago attorney and politician. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Arima since the 2020 general election. She is the current Minister of Planning and Development. Previously she was the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago for the first time on 7 February 1925.
Stuart Richard Young is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and attorney,representing the People's National Movement (PNM). He has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Port-of-Spain North/St. Ann's West since the 2015 general election. He is the current Minister of Energy and Energy Industries and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. Young has previously held the posts of Minister of National Security,Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and Minister of Communications. Young was awarded Silk and elevated to Senior Counsel on June 20,2024.
Arima is a parliamentary electoral district in Trinidad and Tobago in the north of Trinidad,including part of the borough of Arima. It is currently represented by Pennelope Beckles.
Lisa Morris-Julian is a Trinidad and Tobago politician for the People's National Movement. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for D'Abadie/O'Meara since the 2020 general election. She is also currently a Minister in the Ministry of Education. She was the mayor of Arima between 2013 and 2020.
Wilfred Andrew Rose (1922–2008) was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian diplomat and politician who served in the Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. A member of the People's National Movement,Rose also held several ambassadorial posts,most notably serving as Trinidad and Tobago's Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1964 until 1968.
References
- ↑ "The Honourable Clytus Arnold Thomasos". www.ttparliament.org/. Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
- 1 2 3 4 "General Information 2018 - Parliament of T&T by The Art Bank Limited". issuu.com. Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. 2 February 2023.
- ↑ "Personalities Caribbean". Personalities Limited. 1977.
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