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.
Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning was a Trinidadian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago;his terms ran from 17 December 1991 to 9 November 1995 and from 24 December 2001 to 26 May 2010. He was also Political Leader of the People's National Movement (PNM) from 1987 to 2010. A geologist by training,Manning served as Member of Parliament for the San Fernando East constituency from 1971 until 2015 when he was replaced by Randall Mitchell and was the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives. He was the Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1995 to 2001.
San Fernando,officially the City of San Fernando,is the most populous city and second most populous municipality in Trinidad and Tobago,after Chaguanas. Sando,as it is also known,occupies 19 km²and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad. It is bounded to the north by the Guaracara River,the south by the Oropouche River,the east by the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway,and the west by the Gulf of Paria. The former borough was elevated to the status of a city corporation on 18 November 1988. The motto of San Fernando is:"Sanitas Fortis" - In a Healthy Environment We Will Find Strength. Many local Trinidadians refer to the city with the shortened name "Sando." San Fernando is called Trinidad and Tobago's "industrial capital" because of its proximity to the Pointe-à-Pierre oil refinery and many other petrochemical,LNG,iron and steel and aluminium smelters in places such as Point Lisas in Couva,Point Fortin,and La Brea.
Ralph Maraj is a Trinidad and Tobago politician,actor,playwright,and teacher. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under a People's National Movement (PNM) administration,Minister of Communication and Information Technology under a United National Congress (UNC) administration,and was a founding member of National Team Unity before returning to the PNM to work as a speech writer for Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Prior to entering politics in 1991,Maraj worked as a teacher at Naparima College in San Fernando. He also attended that school. He wrote several plays,the most successful being Cynthia Sweetness. Maraj also starred in the movies The Right and The Wrong (1969) and Bim (1974),described by Bruce Paddington as "one of the most important films to be produced in Trinidad and Tobago".
Winston Chandarbhan Dookeran is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician and economist as well as international public official. Dookeran is the current Secretary-General of EUCLID,an intergovernmental institution of higher learning. He previously served as Political Leader of the Congress of the People,central bank governor,minister of finance,and minister of foreign affairs.
Presentation College San Fernando is a selective,government-assisted Roman Catholic Boys’Secondary School located in San Fernando,Trinidad and Tobago. It claims to be the first Catholic secondary school in South Trinidad,having been established around 1930 in the basement of San Fernando Presbytery. It relocated to the Colony Buildings at La Pique in 1931. Originally named St. Benedict's College,the name was changed in 1948 when management of the school was assumed by the Presentation Brothers.
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 Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international Catholic congregation of laymen founded in 1802 in Waterford,Ireland,by a local Irish businessman,Edmund Ignatius Rice,now Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice. Presentation Brothers live and work in Ireland,England,USA,Canada,Ghana,Nigeria,Zimbabwe,Zambia and Grenada with about 100 Brothers throughout these countries.
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 May 24,2010. The date of the general elections was announced by Prime Minister Patrick Manning on April 16,2010,via a press release. The election was called over two years earlier than required by law. Polls showing that the UNC-led opposition coalition was likely to win the election were confirmed by the subsequent results.
Faris Al-Rawi is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician. He was the former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 to 2022. He is also a Member of the House of Representatives for the constituency of San Fernando West.
Nikoli Edwards is a politician and political activist from Trinidad and Tobago. On 11 January 2017 he was appointed as a temporary Independent member of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago by former President Anthony Carmona. He launched a new political party called the Progressive Party on 16 June 2019. On the 11th of August 2020,Trinidad and Tobago held their General Elections where Edwards contested one sole seat,San Fernando West. His rivals were Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Sean Sobers (UNC). Nikoli Edwards,interim leader of the Progressive party lost the general elections and San Fernando West was retained by current Member of Parliament and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi. Nikoli obtained 211 votes for the Progressive Party.
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.
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.
Isabel Ursula Teshea,TC was an Afro-Trinidadian social worker,human rights activist,and politician. One of the founders of the People's National Movement,she served as vice chair of the party and was the first woman to hold the office. When Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain,she ran as a candidate,becoming the first woman elected in the newly established House of Representatives. She became the first woman cabinet Minister and later ambassador for the country. Posthumously,she was awarded the Trinity Cross,the highest honor of the country.
Christine Kangaloo is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and the current President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago. 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. Kangaloo is a long-time member of the People's National Movement and 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 governments.
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.
Senator the Honourable Randall Mitchell is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and lawyer who currently serves as the Minister of Tourism,Culture and the Arts since 19 August 2020. He was appointed a senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate on 19 August 2020. He is a member of the People's National Movement.
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.
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.
