Politics of Trinidad & Tobago

The country has remained a member of the Commonwealth, and until 2003 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 and answerable to the House of Representatives. The 36 members of the House are elected to terms of at least 5 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.

Party politics have generally run along ethnic lines, with Afro-Trinidadians supporting the People's National Movement (PNM) and Indo-Trinidadians supporting various Indian-majority parties, such as the United National Congress (UNC) or its predecessors. Most political parties, however, have sought to broaden their purview.

The country's highest court is the Court of Appeals, whose chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and leader of the opposition. 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 neighbors (CARICOM) to be the headquarters site of a contemplated Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to replace the Privy Council in the fall of 2003.

Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form:
Trinidad and Tobago

Data code:
TD

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Port-of-Spain

Administrative divisions:
five Municipalities Arima, Chaguanas, Port-of-Spain, Point Fortin, San Fernando and nine Regional Corporations Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo, Diego Martin, Penal-Debe, Princes Town, Rio Claro-Mayaro, San Juan-Laventille, Sangre Grande,Siparia, and Tunapuna-Piarco

Independence:
31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Republic Day, 24 September (1976)

Constitution:
1 August 1976

Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state:
President George Maxwell Richards (since 2003)
head of government:
Prime Minister Patrick Manning (since December 2000)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed from among the Members of Parliament which constitutes elected Members of the House of Representatives and appointed Members of the Senate
Elections:
President elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term; election last held 2001 (next to be held by 2006); prime minister appointed from among the members of Parliament; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives is usually appointed prime minister
Election Results:
George Maxwell Richards elected president;

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:
House of Representatives - last held 2001 (next to be held by 2006)
election results:
House of Representatives - seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16, NAR 0, independent 0;
note:
Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly, with 15 members (12 elected) serving four-year terms

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals, judges are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

Political parties and leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR (Lennox Sankersingh); People's National Movement or PNM (Patrick Manning); United National Congress or UNC (Basdeo Panday); National Team Unity or NTU (Ramesh Maharaj); Citizens' Alliance (Wendell Mottley); Democratic Action Congress (Hochoy Charles); Democratic Party of Trinidad and Tobago (Steve Alvarez).

Political pressure groups and leaders: Jamaat al Muslimeen (Yasin Abu Bakr) (Leader of the islamist coup d'état attempt in 1990)

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

Flag description:
red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side

External links