Politics of Trinidad and Tobago

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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.

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The country has remained a member of the Commonwealth, and has retained the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London as its highest court of appeal. The general direction and control of the government rests with the Cabinet, led by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are answerable to the House of Representatives. The 41 members of the House are elected to terms of at least five years. Elections may be called earlier by the president at the request of the prime minister or after a vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives. In 1976, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18. The Senate's 31 members are appointed by the President: 16 on the advice of the prime minister, six on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and nine independents selected by the President from among outstanding members of the community. Local government is through nine Regional Corporations and five municipalities. Tobago was given a measure of self-government in 1980 and is governed by the Tobago House of Assembly. In 1996, Parliament passed legislation which gave Tobago greater self-government. In 2005 Parliament approved a proposal by the independent Elections and Boundaries Commission to increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 36 to 41.

Party politics has generally run along ethnic lines, with most Afro-Trinidadians supporting the People's National Movement (PNM) and most Indo-Trinidadians supporting various Indian-majority parties, such as the current United National Congress (UNC) or its predecessors. Most political parties, however, have sought to broaden their purview. In the run-up to the 2007 general election, a new political presence emerged called Congress of The People (COP). Led by Winston Dookeran, the majority of this membership was formed from former UNC members. Despite gaining a significant but minority share of the vote in various constituencies, the COP failed to capture a single seat.

An early general election was called on 16 April 2010, and was held on 24 May 2010. [1] Two major entities contested the election: the incumbent PNM, and a coalition called the People's Partnership, led by UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, comprising the UNC, COP, Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), and two labour and non-governmental organisations: the National Joint Action Committee and the Movement for Social Justice. [2] The People's Partnership won 29 seats and the majority, with Kamla Persad-Bissessar being sworn in as the country's first female prime minister on 26 May 2010. The PNM won the remaining 12 seats and comprised the opposition in parliament.

After the period a new party also emerged from an ex-member of the United National Congress, known as the Independent Liberal Party which was founded by FIFA ex-vice president Jack Warner.

In the 2015 general election resulted in a victory for the People's National Movement, which won 23 of the 41 seats led by Keith Rowley. [3] In August 2020, Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s ruling party PNM won the general election again. [4]

Executive branch

President's House, the official residence of the president Trinidad and Tobago The President's House Trinidad.jpg
President's House, the official residence of the president Trinidad and Tobago
Whitehall, the official residence of prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago Whitehall (13436829895).jpg
Whitehall, the official residence of prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago
Main office-holders
OfficeNamePartySince
President The Hon Christine Kangaloo.jpg
Independent 20 March 2023
Prime Minister Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley on 6 July 2023 - (53027345558) (cropped).jpg
People's National Movement 9 September 2015

The president is elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term. The prime minister is appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament; following legislative elections, the person with the most support among the elected members of the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister, usually the leader of the winning party. The cabinet is appointed from among the Members of Parliament, which constitutes elected Members of the House of Representatives and appointed Members of the Senate

Cabinet ministers of Trinidad and Tobago

Following the 2015 general elections, a number of ministries were removed, while others were consolidated or reintroduced.

RemovedConsolidatedReintroduced
Ministry of the PeopleMinistry of Works and Transport (formerly Min Works and Infrastructure and Min Transport)Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of GenderMinistry of Rural Development (formerly Local Government)Ministry of Social Development
Ministry of Youth and Child Development----
Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism----
Ministry of Justice----
Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education----
Ministry of Food Production----
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources----
Ministry of National Diversity and Social Integration----

Legislative branch

The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 41 members, elected for a 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 Independent Senators appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. The 15 member Tobago House of Assembly has limited autonomy with respect to Tobago.

Party division by Parliamentary session

The following tables lists the party divisions for the House of Representatives and Tobago House of Assembly. Note that numbers in boldface denote the majority party at that particular time while italicized numbers signify a House in which the majority party changed intra-term.

SessionElection PNM UNC  Total seats
12th Republic Monday, August 10, 2020 221941
SessionElection PNM UNC   COP Total seats
11th Republic Monday, September 7, 2015 2317141
SessionElection PNM UNC   COP TOP Total seats
10th Republic Monday, 24 May 2010 12216241
SessionElection PNM UNC Total seats
9th Republic Monday, 5 November 2007 261541
8th Republic Monday, 7 October 2002 201636
7th Republic Monday, 10 December 2001 181836
SessionElection PNM UNC NAR Total seats
6th Republic Monday, 11 December 2000 1619136
SessionElection PNM UNC NAR Total seats
5th Republic Monday, 6 November 1995 1717236
4th Republic Monday, 16 December 1991 2113236
SessionElection PNM NAR Total seats
3rd Republic Monday, 15 December 1986 33336
SessionElection PNM ULF DAC Total seats
2nd Republic Monday, 9 November 1981 268236
1st Republic Monday, 13 September 1976 2410236
SessionElection PNM Total seats
3rd Independent Monday, 24 May 1971 3636
SessionElection PNM DLP Total seats
2nd Independent Monday, 7 November 1966 241236
1st Independent Monday, 4 December 1961 201030
SessionElection PNM PDP TLP-TND BP IndependentTotal seats
9th Legislative Council Monday, 24 September 1956 13522224
SessionElection CSP POPPG TLP TUCSP BP IndependentTotal seats
8th Legislative Council Monday, 18 September 1950 12216618
SessionElection UF TUCSP BP IndependentTotal seats
7th Legislative Council Monday, 28 October 1946 32319
SessionElection TLP UPIndependentTotal seats
6th Legislative Council Early 1938 3227

Tobago House of Assembly

SessionElection PNM PDP IndependentTotal seats
12th Monday, 6 December 2021 111315
114
11th Monday, 25 January 2021 6612
10th Monday, 23 January 2017 10212
SessionElection PNM Total seats
9th Monday, 21 January 2013 1212
SessionElection PNM TOP Total seats
8th Monday, 19 January 2009 8412
SessionElection PNM DAC  Total seats
7th Monday, 17 January 2005 11112
SessionElection PNM NAR  Total seats
6th Monday, 29 January 2001 8412
SessionElection PNM NAR  IndependentTotal seats
5th Monday, 9 December 1996 110112
4th Monday, 7 December 1992 11112
3rd Tuesday, 29 November 1988 11112
SessionElection PNM DAC  Total seats
2nd Monday, 26 November 1984 11112
1st Monday, 24 November 1980 4812

Partisan control of Parliament

This table shows the number of Parliaments in which a party controlled the House of Representatives and Tobago House of Assembly.

PartyParliamentPrime Ministers
PNM 104
UNC 22
NAR 11
No overall control2

Tobago House of Assembly

PartyAssemblyChief Secretaries
PNM 53
NAR 33
DAC 21
PDP 11
Independent 11
No overall control1

Judicial branch

The country's highest court is the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago, [5] whose chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. [6] The current Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is Ivor Archie. [7] Final appeal on some matters is decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. Trinidad and Tobago was chosen by its Caribbean neighbours (Caricom) to be the headquarters site of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which was supposed to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the fall of 2003. However, the government has been unable to pass legislation to effect this change.

Administrative divisions

Trinidad is divided in five Municipalities Arima, Chaguanas, Port of Spain, Point Fortin, San Fernando and nine Regional Corporations Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo, Diego Martin, Penal–Debe, Princes Town, Mayaro–Rio Claro, San Juan–Laventille, Sangre Grande, Siparia, and Tunapuna–Piarco.

Local government in Tobago is handled by the Tobago House of Assembly.

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Manning</span> Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United National Congress</span> Political party in Trinidad and Tobago

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's National Movement</span> Political party in Trinidad and Tobago

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago</span> Legislature of Trinidad and Tobago

The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government 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%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)</span>

The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, along with the President and House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago. The Senate currently sits at the Red House. The Senate has 31 members all 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 on the discretion of the President from outstanding persons who represent other sectors of civil society. The presiding officer, the President of the Senate, is elected from among the Senators who are not Ministers or Parliamentary Secretaries. A senator must be at least 25 years old and a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. The current President of the Senate is Senator Nigel de Freitas. As of 20 April 2021, there are only 13 female senators, or 41.9% and 6 Tobagonian senators or 19.4%. The Senate made history on 15 February 2022 by appointing Jowelle de Souza as an acting opposition senator, thus making her the Caribbean's first and only transgender parliamentarian.

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamla Persad-Bissessar</span> Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician, lawyer, and the 6th prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Trinidad and Tobago general election</span> General election in Trinidad and Tobago

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%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Partnership</span> Political party in Trinidad and Tobago

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Rowley</span> Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago since 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leader of the Opposition (Trinidad and Tobago)</span> Parliamentary position of Trinidad and Tobago

The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennelope Beckles</span> Trinidad and Tobago politician and attorney (born 1961)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Trinidad and Tobago presidential election</span>

Indirect presidential elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 19 January 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election</span>

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.

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Trinidad and Tobago presidential election</span>

Indirect presidential elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 20 January 2023.

References

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  2. "A look at The People's Partnership". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday . 23 April 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. "Opposition party wins elections in Trinidad and Tobago". Reuters. 8 September 2015.
  4. "Trinidad and Tobago PM claims election victory for ruling party". Reuters. 11 August 2020.
  5. admin. (2002). "Structure of the Judiciary". The Judiciary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
  6. admin. (2002). "Appointment to the Judiciary". JT&T. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  7. admin. (2008). "Chief judges and Chief justices of Trinidad and Tobago". JT&T. Retrieved 10 September 2010.