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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.
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.
Keith Christopher Rowley is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian 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.
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.
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.
Tobago East is a parliamentary electoral district in Trinidad and Tobago,comprising the eastern part of Tobago. It is currently represented by Ayanna Webster-Roy of the People's National Movement.
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.
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.
Snap House of Assembly elections were held in Tobago on 6 December 2021 to elect all 15 members of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). The election was called following a deadlock created by the January 2021 elections which resulted in a tie between the People's National Movement (PNM) and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP),with both parties winning six seats. As a result,the number of seats in the legislature was increased from 12 to 15 to avoid ties.
Anita Haynes 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 Tabaquite since the 2020 general election. She was previously an Opposition Senator from 2017 to 2020. She is the first female MP for Tabaquite.
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.
Foster Cummings is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the People's National Movement. He has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for La Horquetta/Talparo since the 2020 general election. He is the current Minister of Youth Development and National Service and General Secretary for the People's National Movement.
Brian Manning 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 San Fernando East since the 2020 general election. He is the current Minister in the Ministry of Finance.
Edmund Ernest Dillon is a Trinidad and Tobago military officer,politician and diplomat. He is the current Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Dillon was commissioned with the Coast Guard and joined the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment as an officer. He rose through the ranks and eventually became Chief of Defence Staff,a position that he held from 2006 to 2010. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Point Fortin between 2015 and 2020,when he served as the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
Diego Martin West is a parliamentary electoral district in Trinidad and Tobago in the north-west of Trinidad. It has been represented since the 1991 general election by Keith Rowley of the People's National Movement (PNM).
Diego Martin Central is a parliamentary electoral district in Trinidad and Tobago in the north-west of Trinidad. It has been represented since the 2020 general election by Symon de Nobriga of the People's National Movement (PNM).
References
- 1 2 "The Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Government News. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- 1 2 3 "Ayanna Webster-Roy | PNM: Tobago East". Trinidad Express . July 14, 2020. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- 1 2 "Ministers in Office of the Prime Minister". Office of the Prime Minister | Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ↑ "The Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Parliament. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ↑ Nanton, Sampson (August 19, 2020). "T&T's new 21-member Cabinet". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian . Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- 1 2 De Souza, Janelle (September 6, 2020). "Ayanna Webster-Roy: 'We are stronger as one nation'". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.