The politics of

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 ...

function within the framework of a

unitary state A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units). Such units exercise only th ...

regulated by a

parliamentary democracy A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of t ...

modelled on that of the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...

, from which the country gained its independence in 1962. Under the 1976 republican

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

, the

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

was replaced as

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

by a

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

chosen by an electoral college composed of the members of the

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, consisting of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and 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 ...

. The country has remained a member of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

, and has retained the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as its highest court of appeal. The general direction and control of the government rests with the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

, led by a

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 ...

. 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 A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

. 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 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) and most

Indo-Trinidadian Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Indian-Trinidadians and Tobagonians, are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago whose ancestors came from India and the wider subcontinent beginning in 1845. Indo-Trinidadians an ...

s supporting various Indian-majority parties, such as the current

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 party. It was founded in 1989 by Basdeo Panday, a Trinidadian lawyer, ...

(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 Winston Chandarbhan Dookeran (; born 24 June 1943) 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 ...

, 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. 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 The Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) is an autonomist political party in Tobago formed in 2008. Its current political leader is Ashworth Jack. The party was formed in 2008 from a split with the Democratic Action Congress. The TOP contested ...

(TOP), and two labour and non-governmental organisations: the

National Joint Action Committee The National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) is a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. History The party was established in February 1969 by Makandal Daaga Makandal Akhenation Daaga (born Geddes Granger; 13 August 1935 – 8 August 2016) was ...

and the Movement for Social Justice. 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

, 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

, which won 23 of the 41 seats led by

Keith Rowley Keith Christopher Rowley (born 24 October 1949) 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 elect ...

Executive branch

Paula-Mae Weekes

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, 19 March 2018 , - ,

, 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 *Prime Minister:

*Minister of Finance:

Colm Imbert Colm Imbert is the Minister of Finance since September 2015 and Member of Parliament for the constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division ...

*Attorney-General:

Reginald Armour Reginald Armour is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer who has served as Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago since March 16, 2022. He was named by Prime Minister Keith Rowley to replace Faris Al-Rawi. Upon his appointment, questions were asked b ...

*Minister of National Security:

Fitzgerald Hinds The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...

*Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs:

Amery Browne Amery may refer to: People * Bill Amery, Australian rules footballer * Charlie Amery (1910–1979), British footballer * Jean Améry (1912–1978), Austrian author * John Amery (1912–1945), British fascist, executed for treason * Julian Amery, B ...

*Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development: Pennelope Beckles *Minister of Trade and Industry: Paula Gopee-Scoon *Minister of Energy and Energy Industries: Stuart Young *Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts:

Randall Mitchell Randall Mitchell (born 10 January 1979) 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 ...

*Minister of Local Government and Rural Development:

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 ...

*Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries:

Kazim Hosein Kazem (also spelled Kadhem, Kadhim, Kazim, Qazim or Cathum; written in ar, كاظم, in Persian: کاظِم) means "tolerant", "forgiving", and "having patience" is an Arabic male given name. Although the pronunciation of the Arabic letter Ẓ ...

*Minister of Housing and Urban Development: Camille Robinson-Regis *Minister of Works and Transport:

Rohan Sinanan Rohan may refer to: Places * Rohan, Morbihan, a French commune in Brittany * Château des Rohan (Mutzig), France * Żebbuġ, Malta, also known as Città Rohan ** De Rohan Arch, a commemorative arch in Żebbuġ * Palais Rohan, Bordeaux, France * ...

*Minister of Public Utilities:

Marvin Gonzales Marvin may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography ;In the United States * Marvyn, Alabama, also spelled Marvin, an unincorporated community * Marvin, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Marvin, North Carolina, a village * Marvin, South Dakota, a town * R ...

*Minister of Public Administration and Digital Transformation:

Allyson West Allyson is a given name and family name, a variant form of Alison. People with the given name Allyson * Allyson Hennessy (1948-2011), Trinidadian television presenter * Allyson Schwartz (born 1948), American politician * Allyson Kay Duncan (born ...

*Minister of Health:

Terrence Deyalsingh Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought T ...

*Minister of Education:

Nyan Gadsby-Dolly Nyan may be the name of the following people: * Ba Nyan (1897–1945), Burmese painter * Chong Hon Nyan (born 1924), Malaysian politician * Dougbeh Chris Nyan, Liberian medic and activist * Nyan Boateng (born 1985), American football player * ...

*Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development:

Stephen McClashie Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

*Minister of Social Development and Family Services: Donna Cox *Minister of Sports and Community Development:

Shamfa Cudjoe Shamfa Ashaki Cudjoe (born 1982) 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 th ...

*Minister of Youth Development and National Services:

Foster Cummings Foster Cummings (born in 1973) 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. H ...

*Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister: Stuart Young *Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister:

Ayanna Webster-Roy Ayanna Webster-Roy is a Trinidad and Tobago People's National Movement politician. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Tobago East since the 2015 general election. She is also currently a Minister in the ...

*Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister:

Symon De Nobrega Symon is both a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Don Symon (born 1960), New Zealand Olympic rower * Jim Symon, Scottish radio presenter * Josiah Symon (1846–1934), Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician * ...

*Minister in the Ministry of Finance: Brian Manning *Minister in the Office of the Attorney-General:

Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and western state of Maharashtra. She is also known as the mother of Parashurama ...

*Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries:

Avinash Singh Avinash Yelandur (born 22 December 1959) is an Indian actor who stars predominantly in South Indian language films, notably in the Kannada and Tamil film industries. He has been in the industry for two decades and has acted in over 200 films. Kn ...

*Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries (Lands):

Nigel de Freitas Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published ...

*Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development: Adrian Leonce *Minister in the Ministry of Education:

Lisa Morris-Julian 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 Mi ...

*Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration:

Hassel Bacchus Hassel may refer to: Places * Hassel (Bergen), a municipality in the borough of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Germany *Hassel (Weser), a municipality in the district of Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany * Hassel, Saxony-Anhalt, a municipality in the district ...

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

Legislative branch

The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has two chambers. The

has 41 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat

constituencies 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 (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

. The

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 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 ...

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 Tobago () is an island and ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trinidad and about off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It also lies to the southeast of Grenada. The offic ...

Party division by Parliamentary session

The following tables lists the party divisions for the

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.

Tobago House of Assembly

Partisan control of Parliament

This table shows the number of Parliaments in which a party controlled the

and Tobago House of Assembly.

Tobago House of Assembly

Judicial branch

The country's highest court is the Court of Appeal, whose chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the Prime Minister and

. The current Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is Ivor Archie. Final appeal on some matters is decided by the Judicial Committee of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

. Trinidad and Tobago was chosen by its

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

neighbours ( Caricom) to be the headquarters site of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which was supposed to replace the

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 Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of ...

Chaguanas The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest municipality (83,489 at the 2011 census) and fastest-growing
– Afra ...

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...

Point Fortin Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando, in the historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of ...

, San Fernando and nine Regional Corporations Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo,

Diego Martin Diego Martin is a town and is the urban commercial center and capital of the Diego Martin region in Trinidad and Tobago. Its location in the region is just on the south eastern border, west of the capital city of Port of Spain and east of the t ...

, Penal–Debe,

Princes Town Princes Town is a town within the Princes Town Regional Corporation, located on southern Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. The population of the town is 28,335. History Founded as the Amerindian '' Mission of Savana Grande'', the town ...

Mayaro–Rio Claro Mayaro–Rio Claro is a region of Trinidad. The local government body is Mayaro–Rio Claro Regional Corporation, a Regional Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago. The region has a land area of . The Mayaro–Rio Claro Regional Corporation is headqu ...

, San Juan–Laventille,

Sangre Grande Sangre Grande is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Arima and southwest of the village of Toco. It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and capital of the region. Overview and history ...

, Siparia, and

Tunapuna–Piarco Tunapuna–Piarco is one of the 9 regions of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the most populous region in the country by total population and the fifth-largest by total land area. Geographically located in Northern Trinidad, Tunapuna–Piarco shares its ...

. 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 The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glob ...

, IMO,

Intelsat Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as I ...

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...

, IOC, ISO,

ITU The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union ...

ITUC The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund (IGB), link=no; es, Confederación Sindical Internacional (CSI), link=no. is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation w ...

, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,

OPCW The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member s ...

, UN,

UNCTAD The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...

, UNU,

UPU Upu or Apu, also rendered as Aba/Apa/Apina/Ubi/Upi, was the region surrounding Damascus of the 1350 BC Amarna letters. Damascus was named ''Dimašqu'' / ''Dimasqu'' / etc. (for example, "Dimaški"-(see: Niya (kingdom)), in the letter corresponde ...

, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishin ...

WMO The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Internatio ...

, WTrO

References

External links

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EB&C)
Trinidad and Tobago {{Americas topic, Politics of