View source for Politics of Trinidad and Tobago

{{Short description|none}}
{{multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=June 2018}}
{{cleanup reorganise|date=April 2025}}
{{update|reason=[[2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election]]|date=April 2025}}
}}
{{Politics of Trinidad and Tobago}}
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|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]], from which the country gained its independence in 1962. Under the 1976 [[Republicanism|republican]] [[Constitution]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oas.org/dil/Constitution_of_the_Republic_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago_Act.pdf |title=Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Act |last= |first= |date=December 31, 2009 |website=Organization of American States |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=November 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Digital Law Library {{!}} Web Application |url=http://laws.gov.tt/ttdll-web/revision/byconsitution |website=laws.gov.tt}}</ref> the [[Queen of Trinidad and Tobago|monarch]] was replaced as [[head of state]] by a [[President of Trinidad and Tobago|President]] chosen by an [[electoral college]] composed of the members of the [[bicameral]] [[Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago|Parliament]], consisting of the [[Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|Senate]] and the [[House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago|House of Representatives]].

The country has remained a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|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 (government)|Cabinet]], led by a [[Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago|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 Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago|Regional Corporations]] and five [[municipality|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-Trinidadian]]s supporting the [[People's National Movement]] (PNM) and most [[Indo-Trinidadian]]s 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 (Trinidad and Tobago)|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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hutchinson-Jafar |first=Linda |date=16 April 2010 |title=Trinidad and Tobago sets early election May 24 |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1614584720100416?type=marketsNews |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 April 2010 |title=A look at The People's Partnership |work=[[Trinidad and Tobago Newsday]] |url=http://archives.newsday.co.tt/2010/04/23/a-look-at-the-peoples-partnership/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> 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 (Trinidad and Tobago)|Independent Liberal Party]] which was founded by FIFA ex-vice president [[Jack Warner (football executive)|Jack Warner]].

In the [[Trinidad and Tobago general election, 2015|2015 general election]] resulted in a victory for the [[People's National Movement]], which won 23 of the 41 seats led by [[Keith Rowley]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Opposition party wins elections in Trinidad and Tobago |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trinidadtobago-election-idUSKCN0R818820150908 |work=Reuters |date=8 September 2015 |language=en}}</ref> In August 2020,  Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s  ruling party PNM won the general [[2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election|election]] again.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trinidad and Tobago PM claims election victory for ruling party |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trinidadtobago-election-idUSKCN2570E4 |work=Reuters |date=11 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref> On March 17, 2025 Stuart Young was sworn in as Prime Minister after Dr Keith Rowley's resignation on March 16, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burnie |first=Gregory Mc |date=2025-03-17 |title=No PM for 10 hours as Rowley resigns |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/16/no-pm-for-10-hours-as-rowley-resigns/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Fraser |first=Narissa |date=2025-03-17 |title=Young sworn in as Prime Minister |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/17/young-sworn-in-as-prime-minister/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election]] resulted in a victory for the [[United National Congress]] with 26 seats won and 13 won by the PNM. A new party, the [[Tobago People's Party]] won the 2 seats in Tobago. [[Kamla Persad-Bissessar]] was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 1, 2025.<ref>{{cite news |title=New government assumes office in Trinidad and Tobago |url=https://www.caribbean-council.org/new-government-assumes-office-in-trinidad-and-tobago/ |work=The Caribbean Council |date=15 May 2025}}</ref>

==Executive branch==
[[File:Whitehall (13436829895).jpg|thumb|right|Whitehall, the official office of prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago]]''See also: [[List of prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago]]''{{office-table}}
| [[President of Trinidad and Tobago|President]]
| <br>
 <div style="text-align: center;">[[Christine Kangaloo]]</div>
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
| 20 March 2023
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago|Prime Minister]]

| [[File: Kamla Persad-Bissesar 2013.jpg |155px]]  <br>
 <div style="text-align: center;">[[Kamla Persad-Bissesar]]</div>
|[[United National Congress]]
| 1 May 2025
|}
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 membership consists of the prime minister, its head, the attorney general and any other minister chosen at the discretion of the prime minister from persons among the Members of Parliament, which constitutes elected Members of the House of Representatives and appointed Members of the Senate.

=== Cabinet since 2025 ===
Following the [[2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election]], the following cabinet was sworn in:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-03 |title=New Cabinet sworn In: Full list of appointments |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/new-cabinet-sworn-in-full-list-of-appointments/article_f29e11bb-de0f-4d44-89ee-bdd4ea0b318a.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Trinidad Express Newspapers |language=en}}</ref>

* Prime Minister: [[Kamla Persad-Bissessar]]
* Attorney General: [[John Jeremie (politician)|John Jeremie]]
* Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries: Senator [[Ravi Ratiram]]
* Minister of Justice, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General: [[Devesh Maharaj]]
* Minister of Culture and Community Development: [[Michelle Benjamin (politician)|Michelle Benjamin]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Community Development: Dr [[Narindra Roopnarine]]
* Minister of Defence: [[Wayne Sturge]]
* Minister of Education: Dr [[Michael Dowlath]]
* Minister of Energy and Energy Industries: Dr [[Roodal Moonilal]]
* Minister in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries: [[Ernesto Kesar]]
* Minister of Finance: [[Davendranath Tancoo]]
* Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs: [[Sean Sobers]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister: [[Nicholas Morris (politician)|Nicholas Morris]]
* Minister of Health: Dr [[Lackram Bodoe]]
* Minister in the Ministry of Health: Dr [[Rishad Seecheran|Rishad Seecharan]]
* Minister of Homeland Security: [[Roger Alexander]]
* Minister of Housing: Dr [[David Lee (Trinidad and Tobago politician)|David Lee]]
* Minister in the Ministry of Housing: [[Anil Roberts]]
* Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development: [[Leroy Baptiste]]
* Minister of land and Legal Affairs and Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cabinet portfolio changes: Who’s responsible for what |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/cabinet-portfolio-changes-whos-responsible-for-what-6.2.2417749.db04bdb149 |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.guardian.co.tt |language=en}}</ref> [[Saddam Hosein]]
* Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Utilities: [[Barry Padarath]]
* Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services: [[Vandana Mohit]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services: Dr [[Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj]]
* Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development: [[Kennedy Swaratsingh]]
* Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence: [[Dominic Smith (politician)|Dominic Smith]]
* Minister of the Ministry of Public Utilities: [[Clyde Elder]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities: [[Shivanna Sam]]
* Minister of Rural Development and Local Government: [[Khadijah Ameen]]
* Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs: [[Phillip Watts]]
* Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training: Dr [[Prakash Persad]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training: [[Hansen Narinesingh]]
* Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism: [[Colin Neil Gosine]]
* Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation: [[Eli Zakour]]
* Minister of Works and Infrastructure: [[Jearlean John]]

=== Cabinet until 2025 ===
Cabinet ministers of Trinidad and Tobago<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of The Prime Minister - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |url=https://www.opm.gov.tt/ministers-of-government/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.opm.gov.tt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Imbert, Hinds moved in Cabinet reshuffle |url=https://guardian.co.tt/news/imbert-hinds-moved-in-cabinet-reshuffle-6.2.2258781.3993618b6e |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=production2.guardian.co.tt |language=en}}</ref>

*Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Energy Industries: [[Stuart Young (politician)|Stuart Young]], MP<ref name=":1" />
*Attorney-General: [[Camille Robinson-Regis]], MP<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fraser |first=Narissa |date=2025-03-17 |title=Camille Robinson-Regis is Attorney General |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/17/camille-robinson-regis-is-attorney-general/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref>
*Minister of Finance: Senator Vishnu Dhanpaul<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Joey |date=2025-03-17 |title=Vishnu Dhanpaul is the Minister of Finance |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/17/vishnu-dhanpaul-is-the-minister-of-finance/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref>
*Minister of National Security: [[Marvin Gonzales]], MP
*Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs: Senator [[Amery Browne]]
*Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development: [[Pennelope Beckles]], MP
*Minister of Trade and Industry: Senator [[Paula Gopee-Scoon]]
*Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts: Senator [[Randall Mitchell]]
*Minister of Local Government and Rural Development: [[Faris Al Rawi]], MP 
*Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries: Senator [[Kazim Hosein]]
*Minister of Housing and Urban Development: [[Adrian Leonce]], MP<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Joey |date=2025-03-17 |title=Adrian Leonce is the new Minister of Housing |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/17/adrian-leonce-is-the-new-minister-of-housing/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref>
*Minister of Works and Transport: Senator [[Rohan Sinanan]]
*Minister of Public Utilities: [[Colm Imbert]], MP<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Joey |date=2025-03-17 |title=Imbert is now Public Utilities Minister |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/03/17/imbert-is-now-public-utilities-minister/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref>
*Minister of Public Administration:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lindo |first=Paula |date=2021-07-12 |title=Public Administration, Digital Transformation ministries split |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2021/07/12/public-administration-digital-transformation-ministries-split/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}}</ref> Senator [[Allyson West]]
*Minister of Digital Transformation and Minister in the Ministry of Finance:<ref name=":0" /> Senator [[Hassel Bacchus]]
*Minister of Health: [[Terrence Deyalsingh]], MP
*Minister of Education: [[Nyan Gadsby-Dolly]], MP
*Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development:  [[Stephen McClashie]], MP
*Minister of Social Development and Family Services: Senator [[Donna Cox (politician)|Donna Cox]]
*Minister of Sports and Community Development: [[Shamfa Cudjoe]], MP
*Minister of Youth Development and National Services: [[Foster Cummings]], MP
*Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Gender and Child Affairs): [[Ayanna Webster-Roy]], MP
*Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Communications): [[Symon de Nobriga|Symon de Nobrega]], MP
*Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister: [[Fitzgerald Hinds]], MP
*Minister in the Ministry of Finance: [[Brian Manning (politician)|Brian Manning]], MP
*Minister in the Office of the Attorney-General: Senator [[Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal]]
*Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries: Senator [[Avinash Singh]]
*Minister in the Ministry of Works and Transport: Senator [[Richie Sookhai]]
*Minister in the Ministry of National Security: [[Keith Scotland]], SC, MP<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr Keith Scotland sworn in as Minister in the Ministry of National Security {{!}} The Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |url=https://otp.tt/mr-keith-scotland-sworn-in-as-minister-in-the-ministry-of-national-security/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241109113327/https://otp.tt/mr-keith-scotland-sworn-in-as-minister-in-the-ministry-of-national-security/ |archive-date=2024-11-09 |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=otp.tt |language=en-US}}</ref>
Following the 2015 general elections, a number of ministries were removed, while others were consolidated or reintroduced. 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Removed !! Consolidated !! Reintroduced
|-
| Ministry of the People || Ministry of Works and Transport (formerly Min Works and Infrastructure and Min Transport) || Ministry of Agriculture
|-
| Ministry of Gender || Ministry 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==
{{See also|List of Trinidad and Tobago MPs}}{{multiple image
| width1 = 167
| width2 = 141
| width3 = 150
| image1 = 
| caption1 = Nigel de Freitas, [[President of the Senate]] since 18 January 2023
| image2 =
| caption2 = [[Jagdeo Singh]], [[List of Speakers of the House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago|Speaker of the House of Representatives]] since 23 May 2025
| 
| caption3 = [[Pennelope Beckles-Robinson]], [[Leader of the Opposition (Trinidad and Tobago)|Leader of the Opposition]] since 6 May 2025
}}

The [[Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago|Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago]] has two [[bicameralism|chambers]]. The [[House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago|House of Representatives]] has 41 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat [[constituency|constituencies]]. The [[Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|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 (Trinidad and Tobago)|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 (Trinidad and Tobago)|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.
{| class="wikitable"
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]&nbsp;
!
!
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|12th Republic
|[[2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, August 10, 2020]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''22'''
| {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |19
!
!
!
!
!
!
|41
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]&nbsp;
! style="background:{{party color|Congress of the People (Trinidad and Tobago)}};" |[[Congress of the People (Trinidad and Tobago)|{{white|COP}}]]
!
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|11th Republic
|[[2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, September 7, 2015]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''23'''
| {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |17
| bgcolor="DCDCDC" |1
!
!
!
!
!
|41
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]&nbsp;
! style="background:{{party color|Congress of the People (Trinidad and Tobago)}};" | [[Congress of the People (Trinidad and Tobago)|{{white|COP}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Organisation of the People}};" |[[Tobago Organisation of the People|{{black|TOP}}]]
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|10th Republic
|[[2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 24 May 2010]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |12
| {{Party shading/United National Congress}}|'''21'''
| bgcolor="DCDCDC" |'''6'''
| bgcolor="ffff99" |'''2'''
!
!
!
!
|41
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]
!
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|9th Republic
|[[2007 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 5 November 2007]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''26'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |15
!
!
!
!
!
|41
|-
|8th Republic
|[[2002 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 7 October 2002]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''20'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |16
!
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
|7th Republic
|[[2001 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 10 December 2001]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''18'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |'''18'''
!
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|National Alliance for Reconstruction}};" |[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|{{white|NAR}}]]
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|6th Republic
|[[2000 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 11 December 2000]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |16
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |'''19'''
| {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |1
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|United National Congress}};" |[[United National Congress|{{black|UNC}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|National Alliance for Reconstruction}};" |[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|{{white|NAR}}]]
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|5th Republic
|[[1995 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 6 November 1995]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |17
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |'''17'''
| {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |'''2'''
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
|4th Republic
|[[1991 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 16 December 1991]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''21'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United National Congress}} |13
| {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |2
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="3" style="background:{{party color|National Alliance for Reconstruction}};" |[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|{{white|NAR}}]]
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|3rd Republic
|[[1986 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 15 December 1986]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |3
| colspan="3" {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |'''33'''
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|United Labour Front}};" |[[United Labour Front|{{white|ULF}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Democratic Action Congress}};" |[[Democratic Action Congress|{{white|DAC}}]]
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|2nd Republic
|[[1981 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 9 November 1981]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''26'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United Labour Front}}|8
|{{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}}|2
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
|1st Republic
|[[1976 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 13 September 1976]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''24'''
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/United Labour Front}}|10
|{{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}}|2
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="2" |
!
!
!
!
!
!Total seats
|-
|3rd Independent
|[[1971 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 24 May 1971]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''36'''
! colspan="2" |
!
!
!
!
!
|36
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! colspan="6" style="background:{{party color|Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)}};" |[[Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)|{{white|DLP}}]]
!
!Total seats
|-
|2nd Independent
|[[1966 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 7 November 1966]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''24'''
| colspan="6" {{Party shading/Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)}} |12
!
|36
|-
|1st Independent
|[[1961 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 4 December 1961]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''20'''
| colspan="6" {{Party shading/Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)}}|10
!
|30
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|People's National Movement}};" |[[People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
!
! style="background:#f4c430;" |[[People's Democratic Party (Trinidad and Tobago)|{{black|PDP}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Trinidad Labour Party}};" |[[Trinidad Labour Party|{{white|TLP-TND}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Butler Party}};" |[[Butler Party|{{white|BP}}]]
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
|9th Legislative Council
|[[1956 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 24 September 1956]]
| colspan="2" {{Party shading/People's National Movement}} |'''13'''
|
| bgcolor="F9E197" |5
| colspan="2" bgcolor="ffc0cb" |2
| colspan="2" bgcolor="C5D6B2" |2
|2
|24
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Caribbean Socialist Party}};" |[[Caribbean Socialist Party|{{white|CSP}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Party of Political Progress Groups}};" |[[Party of Political Progress Groups|{{black|POPPG}}]]
!
! style="background:{{party color|Trinidad Labour Party}};" |[[Trinidad Labour Party|{{white|TLP}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Trades Union Congress and Socialist Party}};" |[[Trades Union Congress and Socialist Party|{{white|TUCSP}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Butler Party}};" |[[Butler Party|{{white|BP}}]]
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
|8th Legislative Council
|[[1950 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 18 September 1950]]
| bgcolor="D87474" |1
| colspan="2" bgcolor="F7F2C5" |2
!
| bgcolor="ffc0cb" |2
|bgcolor="FF6666" |1
| colspan="2" bgcolor="C5D6B2" |6
|6
|18
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="3" style="background:{{party color|United Front (Trinidad and Tobago)}};" |[[United Front (Trinidad and Tobago)|{{black|UF}}]]
!
!
! style="background:{{party color|Trades Union Congress and Socialist Party}};" |[[Trades Union Congress and Socialist Party|{{white|TUCSP}}]]
! colspan="2" style="background:{{party color|Butler Party}};" |[[Butler Party|{{white|BP}}]]
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
|7th Legislative Council
|[[1946 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Monday, 28 October 1946]]
| colspan="3" bgcolor="FCF999" |3
!
!
|bgcolor="FF6666" |2
| colspan="2" bgcolor="C5D6B2" |3
|1
|9
|-
!Session
!Election
! colspan="3" |
!
! style="background:{{party color|Trinidad Labour Party}};" |[[Trinidad Labour Party|{{white|TLP}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Unionist Party}};" |{{black|UP}}
! colspan="2" |
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
|6th Legislative Council
|[[1938 Trinidad and Tobago general election|Early 1938]]
! colspan="3" |
!
| bgcolor="ffc0cb" |3
| bgcolor="ffe6f2" |2
! colspan="2" |
|2
|7
|}

=== Tobago House of Assembly ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Progressive Democratic Patriots}};" |[[Progressive Democratic Patriots|{{black|PDP}}]]
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
| rowspan="2" |12th
| rowspan="2" |[[December 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election|Monday, 6 December 2021]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}} |1
| {{Party shading/Progressive Democratic Patriots}} |1
|'''13'''
| rowspan="2" |15
|-
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}} |1
| {{Party shading/Progressive Democratic Patriots}} |'''14'''
|
|-
|11th
|[[January 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election|Monday, 25 January 2021]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}  |6
| {{Party shading/Progressive Democratic Patriots}}  |6
|
|12
|-
|10th
|[[2017 Tobago House of Assembly election|Monday, 23 January 2017]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |'''10'''
|{{Party shading/Progressive Democratic Patriots}} |2
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
|
|
!Total seats
|-
|9th
|[[2013 Tobago House of Assembly election|Monday, 21 January 2013]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |'''12'''
| 
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Organisation of the People}};" |[[Tobago Organisation of the People|{{black|TOP}}]]
|
!Total seats
|-
|8th
|[[2009 Tobago House of Assembly election|Monday, 19 January 2009]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |'''8'''
| {{Party shading/Tobago Organisation of the People}} |4
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Democratic Action Congress}};" |[[Democratic Action Congress|{{white|DAC}}]]&nbsp;
|
!Total seats
|-
|7th
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#2005|Monday, 17 January 2005]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |'''11'''
| {{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}} |1
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
| style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|'''{{white|PNM}}''']]
! style="background:{{party color|National Alliance for Reconstruction}};" |[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|{{white|NAR}}]]&nbsp;
|
!Total seats
|-
|6th
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#2000|Monday, 29 January 2001]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |'''8'''
|  {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |4
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|National Alliance for Reconstruction}};" |[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|{{white|NAR}}]]&nbsp;
!Independent
!Total seats
|-
|5th
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#1996|Monday, 9 December 1996]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |1
|  {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |'''10'''
|1
|12
|-
|4th
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#1992|Monday, 7 December 1992]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |1
|  {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |'''11'''
|
|12
|-
|3rd
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#1988|Tuesday, 29 November 1988]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}   |1
| {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}} |'''11'''
|
|12
|-
!Session
!Election
! style="background:{{party color|Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}};" |[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|{{white|PNM}}]]
! style="background:{{party color|Democratic Action Congress}};" |[[Democratic Action Congress|{{white|DAC}}]]&nbsp;
|
!Total seats
|-
|2nd
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#1984|Monday, 26 November 1984]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}  |1
| {{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}} |'''11'''
|
|12
|-
|1st
|[[Tobago House of Assembly elections#1980|Monday, 24 November 1980]]
| {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}  |4
| {{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}} |'''8'''
|
|12
|}

== Partisan control of Parliament ==
This table shows the number of Parliaments in which a party controlled the [[House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago)|House of Representatives]] and [[Tobago House of Assembly]]. 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Party
!Parliament
!Prime Ministers
|- {{Party shading/People's National Movement}}
|[[People's National Movement|PNM]]
|10
|5
|- {{Party shading/United National Congress}}
|[[United National Congress|UNC]]
|2
|2
|- {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}}
|[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|NAR]]
|1
|1
|-
|No overall control
|2
|
|}

=== Tobago House of Assembly ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Party
!Assembly
!Chief Secretaries
|- {{Party shading/Tobago Council of the People's National Movement}}
|[[Tobago Council of the People's National Movement|PNM]]
|5
|3
|- {{Party shading/National Alliance for Reconstruction}}
|[[National Alliance for Reconstruction|NAR]]
|3
|3
|- {{Party shading/Democratic Action Congress}}
|[[Democratic Action Congress|DAC]]
|2
|1
|-
|- {{Party shading/Progressive Democratic Patriots}}
|[[Progressive Democratic Patriots|PDP]]
|1
|1
|-
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|1
|1
|-
|No overall control
|1
|
|}

==Judicial branch==

The country's highest court is the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ttlawcourts.org/structure.htm  |title=Structure of the Judiciary |author=admin. |year=2002 |publisher=The Judiciary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago }}</ref> whose chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the Prime Minister and [[Leader of the Opposition (Trinidad and Tobago)|Leader of the Opposition]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ttlawcourts.org/appointment.htm |title=Appointment to the Judiciary |author=admin. |year=2002 |publisher=JT&T |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref> The current [[Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago]] is [[Ivor Archie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ttlawcourts.org/lib_hstproj_cj.htm |title=Chief judges and Chief justices of Trinidad and Tobago |author=admin. |year=2008 |work=JT&T |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref>  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 ([[Caribbean Community|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==
{{main|Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago}}
Trinidad is divided in five Municipalities [[Arima]], [[Chaguanas]], [[Port of Spain]], [[Point Fortin]], [[San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago|San Fernando]] and nine Regional Corporations [[Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo]], [[Diego Martin region|Diego Martin]], [[Penal–Debe]], [[Princes Town region|Princes Town]], [[Mayaro–Rio Claro]], [[San Juan–Laventille]], [[Sangre Grande region|Sangre Grande]], [[Siparia region|Siparia]], and [[Tunapuna–Piarco]].

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

==International organization participation==
[[ACP countries|ACP]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|C]], [[Caribbean Community|Caricom]], [[Caribbean Development Bank|CDB]], [[United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean|ECLAC]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 24|G-24]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[Inter-American Development Bank|IADB]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]], [[International Hydrographic Organization|IHO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Intelsat]]{{clarification needed|the linked article states that Intelsat is a Luxembourgish private company, rather than an international organization, so I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean in this context...|date=May 2025}}, [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]], [[Latin American Economic System|LAES]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]], [[OPANAL]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[United Nations University|UNU]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTO]]

== See also ==

* [[List of prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Elections in Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[List of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Politics of Trinidad and Tobago}}
*[http://www.ebctt.com/ The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EB&C)], Trinidad and Tobago

{{Trinidad and Tobago topics}}
{{Americas topic|Politics of}}

[[Category:Politics of Trinidad and Tobago| ]]