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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. [5] [6] [7] There have been four PNM Prime Ministers and multiple ministries. The party espouses the principles of liberalism [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] and generally sits at the centre [13] [14] [15] to centre-left [16] [17] of the political spectrum.
The party was founded in 1956 by Eric Williams, who took inspiration from Norman Manley's democratic socialist centre-left People's National Party in Jamaica. [18] [19] It won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981, George Chambers led the party. The party was defeated in the 1986 General Elections, losing 33–3 to the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). Under the leadership of Patrick Manning, the party returned to power in 1991 following the 1990 attempted coup by the Jamaat al-Muslimeen, but lost power in 1995 to the United National Congress (UNC). The PNM lost again to the UNC in the 2000 General Elections, but a split in the UNC forced new elections in 2001. These elections resulted in an 18–18 tie between the PNM and the UNC, and President Arthur N. R. Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister. Manning was unable to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives, but won an outright majority in new elections held in 2002 and again in 2007, before losing power in 2010. It returned to power in the 2015 general election under Keith Rowley where it had its best result since the 1981 general election, winning 51.7 percent of the popular vote and 23 of the 41 seats. In the 2020 general election, they won the popular vote and a majority in the House of Representatives, winning 22 seats.
The party symbol is the balisier flower ( Heliconia bihai ) and the Party's political headquarters is known as the "Balisier House" located in Port of Spain. Historically, the PNM has been supported by a majority of Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians and the Creole-Mulatto population, [20] [21] thus it is colloquially called the Black Party, the African Party, or the Creole Party. [22] [23] [24] [25] The PNM has its strongest support in cities and urban areas. [26] It was also historically supported by different minorities such as the Chinese, Christian Indians (other than Presbyterian Indians), and Muslims of any ethnicity of the country. [27] [28] [20] [21]
The PNM's signature policies and legislative decisions include independence, writing the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, republicanism, the establishment of the Tobago House of Assembly, the Public Transport Service Corporation, the Water Taxi Service, universal preschool, primary and secondary education, universal health care, criminalizing child marriage and decriminalizing cannabis. [29] [30] [31] [32] In government since the 2015 general election, the party holds an overall majority of 22 out of 41 Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives and 16 out of 31 members of the Senate. The party has 72 out of the 139 local councillors and is in control of seven of the 14 regional corporations since the 2019 Trinidadian local elections. The party also has one out of 12 assembly members in the Tobago House of Assembly since the December 2021 Tobago House of Assembly elections.
Despite not being a socialist party, the PNM was a member of the democratic socialist West Indies Federal Labour Party in the Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation from 1957 to 1962. The party includes a semi-autonomous Tobagonian branch known as the Tobago Council of the People's National Movement. As of September 2018, the PNM has 100,000+ registered members. [33] [34]
When Eric Williams returned to Trinidad in 1948 he set about developing a political base. Between 1948 and 1955 he delivered a series of political lectures, under the auspices of the Political Education Movement (PEM) a branch of the Teachers Education and Cultural Association. Naparima College is one of the locations at which such lectures were delivered. [35] On 15 January 1956 Williams launched the PNM. In the 1956 General Elections the PNM captured 13 of the 24 elected seats in the Legislative Council with 38.7% of the votes cast. In order to secure an outright majority in the Legislative Council Williams managed to convince the Secretary of State for the Colonies to allow him to name the five appointed members of the council (despite the opposition of the Governor Sir Edward Betham Beetham). [36] This gave him a clear majority in the Legislative Council. Williams was thus elected Chief Minister and was also able to get all seven of his ministers elected.
In the 1958 Federal Elections (which the PNM contested as part of the West Indies Federal Labour Party), it won four of the 10 Trinidad and Tobago seats with 47.4% of the vote. The Opposition, Democratic Labour Party won the other six seats. [37]
In the 1961 General Elections the PNM won 20 of 30 seats with 58% of the vote. With the collapse of the West Indian Federation, the PNM led Trinidad and Tobago to independence on 31 August 1962.
In the 1966 General Elections the PNM won 24 of 36 seats, with 52% of the vote. However, economic and social discontent grew under PNM rule. This came to a climax in April 1970 with the Black Power Revolution. On 13 April, PNM Deputy Leader and Minister of External Affairs A. N. R. Robinson resigned from the party and government. On 20 April, facing a revolt by a portion of the Army in collusion with the growing Black Power movement, Williams declared a State of Emergency. [38] By 22 April, the mutineers had begun negotiations for surrender. Following this certain ministers were forced to resign including John O'Halloran, Minister of Industry and Gerard Montano, Minister of Home Affairs.
In the 1971 General Elections the PNM faced only limited opposition as the major opposition parties boycotted the election citing the use of voting machines. [39] The PNM captured all 36 seats in the election, including eight that they carried unopposed. Additionally, Williams split the post of Deputy Leader into three and appointed Kamaluddin Mohammed, Errol Mahabir and George Chambers to the position.
In 1972, J. R. F. Richardson crossed the floor and declared himself an Independent. [40] He was subsequently appointed Leader of the Opposition. He was soon joined by another MP, Dr. Horace Charles.
In 1973, the PNM faced a major crisis. On 28 September Williams announced that he would not stand for re-election. This led to a race to succeed him as Political Leader of the party. By 18 November 250 of 476 registered party groups had submitted nominations, 224 of them for Attorney General Karl Hudson-Phillips and 26 for Minister of Health, Kamaluddin Mohammed. Williams announced on 2 December that he would return as Political Leader and Hudson-Phillips was forced out of the party. [41]
In 1976 the PNM won 24 of 36 seats with 54% of the vote. In March 1978, Hector McClean, Minister of Works, resigned from the party and government and declared himself an independent MP.
On 29 March 1981, Eric Williams died. Williams had maintained an iron grip over the party and forced all potential rivals out of the party. In the absence of a clear successor, President Ellis Clarke was left to choose the new Prime Minister from among the three Deputy Political Leaders of the party. Clarke appointed George Chambers Prime Minister in preference to Kamaluddin Mohammed and Errol Mahabir. [42] Chambers was subsequently elected as Political Leader of the PNM and led the party to victory in the 1981 General Elections. The PNM won 26 of 36 seats and 52% of the vote.
It subsequently held on to power until 1986 when it was defeated by the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) under the leadership of A. N. R. Robinson. The PNM won three of 36 seats, with 32% of the vote. Chambers resigned and was succeeded by Patrick Manning as Political Leader. [43]
When Manning became leader he promised a "new PNM" and purposely ignored the discredited old guard. He appointed Wendell Mottley, Keith Rowley and Augustus Ramrekersingh as his deputy leaders. [44]
The PNM was returned to power in the 1991 elections after the NAR self-destructed. In the 1991 election it won 21 of 36 seats with 45% of the vote. However, in the latter half of that term the party became unstable. It lost one seat in a by-election and another when Ralph Maraj defected to the United National Congress. The issue that led Maraj to defect was the declaration of a limited State of Emergency which sole purpose was to remove Occah Seepaul (Maraj's sister) as Speaker of the House of Representatives. [45] The party also suffered a loss of support with the death Minister of Public Utilities, Morris Marshall, a favourite of the party grassroots. Attempting to halt the decline in party support Manning called an early "snap election" in 1995 . Many party front-benchers did not seek reelection including Finance Minister Wendell Mottley.
The party lost the 1995 General Elections winning 17 of 36 seats with 48% of the vote. The United National Congress (UNC) under the leadership of Basdeo Panday also won 17 seats and formed a coalition government with the National Alliance for Reconstruction which had won the remaining two seats. The PNM was further weakened when two MPs resigned from the party and threw their support behind the UNC government. This led to numerous calls for Manning to resign the party leadership, and for calls for Mottley to replace him. Manning declined to resign and Mottley appeared to have taken a sabbatical from politics. When leadership elections were held in 1997 Manning was challenged by Keith Rowley. Manning was returned as Political Leader.
In 2000 the PNM suffered another defeat, winning 16 of 36 seats with 46% of the vote. Another election was held in 2001 which resulted in a tie with both the PNM and UNC winning 18 seats, the PNM with 46% of the electoral vote and the UNC with 50%. However President Arthur N.R. Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister on the basis of "moral and spiritual grounds". (In Trinidad and Tobago's elections, the number of seats needed to occupy the lower house is really the best indicator of whether or not a party would win elections). Unable to elect a Speaker, Manning advised the President to prorogue Parliament. On 7 October 2002 General Elections were held in which the PNM won 50.7% of popular votes and 20 out of 36 seats. [46]
On 9 September 2015, Keith Rowley was sworn in as the new Prime Minister, following the election victory of the PNM. [47] In August 2020, the governing PNM won the following general election, leading to the incumbent Prime Minister Keith Rowley serving a second term. [48]
The political leaders of the People's National Movement have been as follows (any acting leaders indicated in italics): [49] [50]
Key:
PNM UNC NAR
PM: Prime Minister
LO: Leader of the Opposition
†: Died in office
Leader | Term of Office | Position | Prime Minister | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eric Williams | ![]() | 24 January 1956 [51] | 29 March 1981† | PM1955–1981 | himself | |
2 | George Chambers | ![]() | 30 March 1981 [52] | 8 February 1987 | PM 1981–1986 | himself | |
3 | Patrick Manning | ![]() | 8 February 1987 | 27 May 2010 | LO 1986–1991 | Robinson | |
PM 1991–1995 | himself | ||||||
LO 1995–2001 | Panday | ||||||
PM 2001–2010 | himself | ||||||
4 | Keith Rowley | ![]() | 27 May 2010 | TBA 2022 | LO 2010–2015 | Persad-Bissessar | |
PM 2015–present | himself |
The deputy political leaders of the People's National Movement have been as follows (any acting leaders indicated in italics):
Deputy Leader | Term | Concurrent Office(s) | Deputy Leader | Term | Concurrent Office(s) | Deputy Leader | Term | Concurrent Office(s) | Deputy Leader | Term | Concurrent Office(s) | Leader(s) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Solomon [53] (1910-1997) MP for Port of Spain South | ![]() | 1956 | 1966 |
| Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. N. R. Robinson [54] (1926-2014) MP for Tobago East | ![]() | 1967 | 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
George Chambers (1928-1997) MP for St. Ann's East | ![]() | 1971 | 30 March 1981 | Errol Mahabir (1931-2015) MP for San Fernando West | ![]() | 1971 | Kamaluddin Mohammed (1927-2015)MP for Barataria | ![]() | 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
Keith Rowley (born 1949) MP for Diego Martin West | ![]() | 1987 | 1995 | Wendell Mottley (born 1941) MP for St. Ann's East | ![]() | Augustus Ramrekersingh (born )MP for St. Joseph | ![]() |
| Manning | ||||||||||||||||
Joan Yuille-Williams (born ) (party and elections) | ![]() | 1996 [55] | Incumbent |
| Kenneth Valley (1948-2011) MP for | ![]() | Nafeesa Mohammed (born ) | ![]() | 1997 | 2011 |
| Orville London (born 1945 [56] ) (Tobago) AM for Scarborough/Calder Hall | ![]() | 1998 [57] | 3 July 2016 | Chief Secretary of Tobago | |||||||||
Rohan Sinanan (born )(policy) | ![]() | Incumbent |
| Marlene McDonald (born )(legislation) MP for Port of Spain South | ![]() | 13 August 2019 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Rowley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fitzgerald Hinds (born )(legislation) MP for Laventille West | ![]() | 10 November 2019 | Incumbent |
| Kelvin Charles (born 1957 [58] )(Tobago) AM for Black Rock/Whim/Spring Garden | ![]() | 3 July 2016 | 26 January 2020 | Chief Secretary of Tobago | ||||||||||||||||
Tracy Davidson-Celestine (born 1978)(Tobago) | ![]() | 26 January 2020 | 1 May 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The deputy political leaders who additionally served as the political leaders of the Tobago Council of the People's National Movement have been as follows (any acting leaders indicated in italics):
Key:
PNM PDP
MaL: Majority Leader
MiL: Minority Leader
Leader | Term | Position | Chief Secretary | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Orville London | ![]() | 2001 | 3 July 2016 | MaL 2001–2017 | himself | |
2 | Kelvin Charles | ![]() | 3 July 2016 | 26 January 2020 | MaL 2017–2020 | himself | |
3 | Tracy Davidson-Celestine | ![]() | 26 January 2020 (Elected) | 1 May 2022 | None (lost the December 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election for her constituency) | Kelvin Charles | |
Ancil Dennis | |||||||
Farley Chavez Augustine | |||||||
4 | Ancil Dennis | ![]() | 1 May 2022 (Elected) | None | Farley Chavez Augustine |
Position | Officeholder | ||
---|---|---|---|
Political Leader | Keith Rowley | ||
Chairman | Stuart Young | ||
Lady Vice-Chairman | Camille Robinson-Regis | ||
Vice-Chairman | Nyan Gadsby-Dolly | ||
Deputy Political Leader | Tobago Council Political Leader | TBA 2022 | |
Policy Matters | Rohan Sinanan | ||
Party and Election Matters | Fitzgerald Hinds | ||
Legislastive Matters | Joan Yuille Williams | ||
General Secretary | Foster Cummings | ||
Assistant General Secretary | Patricia Alexis | ||
Treasurer | Kazim Hosein | ||
Public Relations Officer | Faris Al-Rawi | ||
Education Officer | Laurel Lezama Lee Sing | ||
Labour Relations Officer | Jennifer Baptiste-Primus | ||
Elections Officer | Indar Parasam | ||
Field Officer | Terrence Beepath | ||
Welfare Officer | Maxine Richards | ||
Youth Officer | Jeniece Scott | ||
Operations Officer | Irene Hinds | ||
Social Media Officer | Kwasi Robinson |
Position | Officeholder | |
---|---|---|
Chairperson | Shenekah Kirton |
Position | Officeholder | |
---|---|---|
Chairwoman | Camille Robinson-Regis |
Tobago House of Assembly Seats | |
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Tobago House of Assembly | 1 / 15 |
Tobago has its own PNM party with separate memberships, constituency associations, executives, offices and a political leader.
Party | Leader | Last election | Government | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Votes (%) | Seats | |||||
Tobago Council of the PNM | Ancil Dennis | ![]() | 2021 | 40.8 | 1 / 12 | Progressive Democratic Patriots |
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Election | Party leader | Votes | Seats | Position | Government | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | ± | No. | ± | |||||
1956 | Eric Williams | 105,513 | 39.8% | — | 13 / 24 | ![]() | 1st | PNM | |
1961 | 190,003 | 57.0% | ![]() | 20 / 30 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
1966 | 158,573 | 52.4% | ![]() | 24 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
1971 | 99,723 | 84.1% | ![]() | 36 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
1976 | 169,194 | 54.2% | ![]() | 24 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
1981 | George Chambers | 218,557 | 52.9% | ![]() | 26 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | |
1986 | 183,635 | 32.0% | ![]() | 3 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | NAR | ||
1991 | Patrick Manning | 233,150 | 45.1% | ![]() | 21 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | |
1995 | 256,159 | 48.8% | ![]() | 17 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | UNC–NAR | ||
2000 | 276,334 | 46.5% | ![]() | 16 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | UNC | ||
2001 | 260,075 | 46.5% | ![]() | 18 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM Minority | ||
2002 | 308,762 | 50.9% | ![]() | 20 / 36 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2007 | 299,813 | 45.85% | ![]() | 26 / 41 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2010 | 285,354 | 39.65% | ![]() | 12 / 41 | ![]() | ![]() | PP | ||
2015 | Keith Rowley | 378,447 | 51.68% | ![]() | 23 / 41 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | |
2020 | 322,250 | 49.08% | ![]() | 22 / 41 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2025 | TBA 2022 |
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Election | Party Group | Leader | Votes | Seats | Position | Government | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Share | No. | Share | ||||||||
1958 [37] | WIFLP | Eric Williams | 119,527 | 47.4% | 4 / 10 | 40.0% | 2nd | WIFLP |
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Election [59] | Votes | Councillors | Corporations | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leader | No. | Vote share | ± | No. | ± | No. | ± | ||
1959 | Eric Williams | 140,275 | 48.1% | — | 33 / 72 | ![]() | ? | ||
1968 | ? | 49.4% | ![]() | 68 / 100 | ![]() | ? | |||
1971 | 12,287 | 52.1% | ![]() | 90 / 100 | ![]() | ? | |||
1977 | 64,725 | 51.1% | ![]() | 68 / 100 | ![]() | ? | |||
1980 | 74,667 | 57.8% | ![]() | 100 / 113 | ![]() | 11 / 11 | |||
1983 [60] | George Chambers | ? | 39.1% | ![]() | 54 / 120 | ![]() | 5 / 11 | ![]() | |
1987 [60] | Patrick Manning | ? | 39.3% | ![]() | 46 / 125 | ![]() | 3 / 11 | ![]() | |
1992 | 154.818 | 50.3% | ![]() | 86 / 139 | ![]() | 10 / 14 | ![]() | ||
1996 | 155,585 | 43.7% | ![]() | 63 / 124 | ![]() | 7 / 14 | ![]() | ||
1999 | 157,631 | 46.6% | ![]() | 67 / 124 | ![]() | 7 / 14 | ![]() | ||
2003 | 172,525 | 53.3% | ![]() | 83 / 126 | ![]() | 9 / 14 | ![]() | ||
2010 | Keith Rowley | 130,505 | 33.6% | ![]() | 36 / 134 | ![]() | 5 / 14 | ![]() | |
2013 | 190,421 | 42.3% | ![]() | 84 / 136 | ![]() | 8 / 14 | ![]() | ||
2016 | 174,754 | 48.2% | ![]() | 83 / 137 | ![]() | 8 / 14 | ![]() | ||
2019 | 161,962 | 43.5% | ![]() | 72 / 139 | ![]() | 7 / 14 | ![]() | ||
2023 | 130,868 | 39.5% | ![]() | 70 / 141 | ![]() | 7 / 14 | ![]() |
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Election [61] | Leader | Votes | Seats | Position | Government | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | ± | No. | ± | |||||
1980 | Eric Williams (National party leader) | 7,097 | 44.4 | — | 4 / 12 | ![]() | 2nd | DAC | |
1984 | George Chambers (National party leader) | 8,200 | 41.4 | ![]() | 1 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | DAC | |
1988 | Patrick Manning (National party leader) | 5,977 | 35.8 | ![]() | 1 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | DAC | |
1992 | 6,555 | 36.7 | ![]() | 1 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | NAR | ||
1996 | 5,023 | 33.6 | ![]() | 1 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | NAR | ||
2001 | Orville London | 10,500 | 46.7 | ![]() | 8 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | |
2005 | 12,137 | 58.4 | ![]() | 11 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2009 | 12,311 | 51.2 | ![]() | 8 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2013 | 19,976 | 61.2 | ![]() | 12 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | ||
2017 | Kelvin Charles | 13,310 | 54.7 | ![]() | 10 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | PNM | |
January 2021 | Tracy Davidson-Celestine | 13,288 | 50.4 | ![]() | 6 / 12 | ![]() | ![]() | Caretaker | |
December 2021 | 11,943* | 40.8* | ![]() | 1 / 15 | ![]() | ![]() | PDP |
The history of Trinidad and Tobago begins with the settlements of the islands by Indigenous First Peoples. Trinidad was visited by Christopher Columbus on his third voyage in 1498,, and claimed in the name of Spain. Trinidad was administered by Spanish hands until 1797, but it was largely settled by French colonists. Tobago changed hands between the British, French, Dutch, and Courlanders, but eventually ended up in British hands following the second Treaty of Paris (1814). In 1889, the two islands were incorporated into a single political entity. Trinidad and Tobago obtained its independence from the British Empire in 1962 and became a republic in 1976.
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.
Eric Eustace Williams was a Trinidad and Tobago politician who is regarded by some as the "Father of the Nation", having led the then British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, to independence on 31 August 1962, and republic status on 1 August 1976, leading an unbroken string of general elections victories with his political party, the People's National Movement, until his death in 1981. He was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and also a noted Caribbean historian, especially for his book entitled Capitalism and Slavery.
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 the 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, but with the seat in 2020 being won by his son Brian Manning. Patrick Manning 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.
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.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar ; born Kamla Susheila Persad, 22 April 1952), often referred to by her initials KPB, is a Trinidadian 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 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.
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".
Early general elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 October 2002, after People's National Movement leader Patrick Manning had failed to secure a majority in the hung parliament produced by the 2001 elections. This time the PNM was able to secure a majority, winning 20 of the 36 seats. Voter turnout was 69.6%.
The People's Partnership (PP) was a political coalition in Trinidad and Tobago among five political parties: the United National Congress (UNC), the Congress of the People (COP), the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP), Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and National Joint Action Committee (NJAC). The political leader was Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The coalition was formed in advance of the 2010 general election attempting to form a multi-ethnic opposition bloc against the People's National Movement (PNM) government led by Patrick Manning. The coalition won the 2010 General Elections defeating the People's National Movement on May 24, 2010. On September 7, 2015, the coalition was defeated in the 2015 General Elections to the People's National Movement led by Keith Rowley. The coalition saw the departure of the Movement for Social Justice in 2012 and eventually disbanded on December 8, 2015.
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.
The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government.
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 September 2015. The date of the general elections was announced by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on 13 June 2015. The result was a victory for the opposition People's National Movement, which received 52% of the vote and won 23 of the 41 seats in the House of Representatives.
Local elections in Trinidad and Tobago were held on 2 December 2019, contesting 139 electoral districts across Trinidad's 14 municipal corporation electoral areas.
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.
House of Assembly elections were held in Tobago on 25 January 2021 where 12 members were elected in the eleventh election since the Assembly was established in 1980. This election marked the first time in history that both parties elected, the People's National Movement (PNM) and Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) won an equal number seats of 6-6, despite the PNM winning the popular vote, resulting in a deadlock and a constitutional crisis with both political parties and Prime Minister Keith Rowley seeking senior counsel advice on the way forward. This election was the first time after 20 years in power that the PNM lost its absolute majority. This election also marked the first time a female political leader was elected to the Assembly and the first time a woman led a major political party or a political party with representation in the Assembly, following the 2020 Tobago Council of the People's National Movement leadership election where Health Secretary, councillor and former Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador to Costa Rica and former Deputy Chief Secretary of Tobago Tracy Davidson-Celestine made history by being elected as the PNM's first female political leader at the regional or national level and one of the first bilingual political leaders in the country's history. If Davidson-Celestine and the PNM were to be elected with a majority to their sixth consecutive term in office, she would have made history, becoming the first female Chief Secretary of Tobago. The election was held alongside local by-elections in Trinidad in which the PNM and UNC retained two districts and the PNM losing one to the UNC.
The Tobago Council of the People's National Movement, also known as the Tobago Council of the PNM, PNM Tobago or PNM Tobago Council, is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Tobago. The party is the autonomous branch of the Trinidad and Tobago People's National Movement operating in Tobago. While its political leader acts in the local capacity, they also serve as a deputy leader on a national level. The party's executives organize for both local and national election campaigns. There have been three PNM Chief Secretaries and administrations.
The 2022 People's National Movement leadership election, the last one for the PNM before the subsequent general election, took place over three days: November 26 and 27 and December 4, 2022. The current party leader and Prime Minister Keith Rowley had indicated he would most likely not seek to lead the party into the next general election. Rowley made these comments in his victory speech on the night of the 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election, where the PNM secured a second mandate under his leadership but with the slimmest majority for a government in two decades. However, he announced that he would seek another term as the party's leader in October 2022. In the 2020 general election campaign, he indicated that he would have stood down had the PNM lost. The election followed the 2022 Tobago Council of the People's National Movement leadership election. Keith Rowley won re-election by an overwhelming majority with a low voter turnout with 9,111 out of 105,894 eligible party members voting.
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.
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. The matter was brought before the Law Lords of the Privy Council by Ravi Balgobin Maharaj, and his legal team led by Anand Ramlogan, SC. The legal action taken by Ravi Balgobin Maharaj was necessary after the PNM government decided to extend the election by one year, which the Privy Council ruled was inconsistent with the rule of Democracy. The judgement handed down to Ravi Balgobin Maharaj by the Law Lords was a landmark ruling in the Commonwealth and marks the first time that a Court upheld the rights of citizens to vote in a Local Government Election.
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