Trinidad and Tobago - April 2025
Trinidad and Tobago holds parliamentary elections
On 28 April, Trinidad and Tobago held a general election to elect all members of the House of Representatives, following the recent dissolution of Parliament by Prime Minister Stuart Young. The opposition party, the United National Congress (UNC), secured a landslide victory, with party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar becoming the country's new Prime Minister (she previously held the role from 2010 to 2015). The UNC’s victory ends a decade of the incumbent People’s National Movement (PNM) in power.
According to preliminary results, the UNC won 26 of the 41 seats, while the PNM garnered 13, and the Tobago People’s Party, 2 seats respectively. For the first time in over a decade, Parliament will have representatives from three different parties. Voter turnout was 53.9 per cent, slightly lower than the 58.0 per cent recorded in the 2020 elections. Data on the proportion of seats held by women in the new parliament was not yet available as of 15 May. International observation missions, reported an overall peaceful and transparent electoral process.
Sources: CARICOM, Commonwealth , Elections & Boundaries Commission Trinidad and Tobago, The Guardian, BBC, Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Daily Express, International IDEA
