The Progressive Party (colloquially known as "The Progressives") is a political party in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. The party was founded on June 16, 2019 by former independent senator

Nikoli Edwards Nikoli Edwards (born 16 October 1991) 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 The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago ...

to contest the

2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election 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 th ...

. The Progressives currently do not hold any seats in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Regional municipalities A regional municipality (or region) is a type of Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place. Reg ...

, Regional corporations or in the

Tobago House of Assembly The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is a unicameral devolved legislative body responsible for the island of Tobago within the unitary state of Trinidad and Tobago. The THA was re-established in 1980

History

The Progressive Party held its first General Meeting in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, Trinidad and Tobago on December 15, 2019. At that meeting, the party's constitution was ratified, and six of the seven members of the Board of Directors were appointed. The Board of Directors will serve until the Party General Assembly of 2021. In his keynote address, Party Leader Nikoli Edwards outlined his party's policies and vision for Trinidad and Tobago, stating that Trinidad could not achieve progress under the two leading parties in Trinidad, the

United National Congress The United National Congress ( UNC or UNCTT) is one of two major political parties in Trinidad and Tobago and the current parliamentary opposition. The UNC is a Centre-left politics, centre-left party. It was founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday, a ...

(UNC) and the ruling

People's National Movement 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 sinc ...

(PNM). At the first General Meeting, Edwards made the declaration that he will be contesting the

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

San Fernando West San Fernando West is a parliamentary electoral district in comprising the western part of the city of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. It came into effect in time for the 1956 Trinidad and Tobago general election. Members of Parliament This c ...

which is currently represented by

Faris Al-Rawi 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. Early life ...

, Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago.

List of Political Leaders

The political leaders of the Progressive Party have been as follows (any acting leaders indicated in italics): Key: ''PM'':

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

''LO'':

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

Electoral history

House of Representatives

Party Leadership

Political Positions

The Progressives identify with

progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...

, as well as the

centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

. The party believes in maintaining a small to moderately-sized government that focuses on helping citizens to realise their fullest potential in a reasonably regulated environment.

References

External links

Progressive Party
{{Authority control Political parties in Trinidad and Tobago Political parties established in 2019 Socialism in Trinidad and Tobago Social liberal parties