| Parliament name |
Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name |
House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Senate
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
24 May 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Representatives following the early dissolution of this body on 9 April 2010. Elections to the House of Representatives had previously taken place on 5 November 2007. |
Prime Minister Patrick Manning asked President George Maxwell Richards to dissolve Parliament on 8 April 2010, one day before parliament was scheduled to examine a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister. The motion had been filed in March by the Leader of the opposition United National Congress-Alliance (UNC), Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar. She had accused the government of a lack of oversight over corruption scandals involving a government urban development corporation. She criticized the Prime Minister's decision to dissolve Parliament as an act of cowardice. The elections to the House of Representatives were subsequently set for 24 May, two and a half years earlier than they were constitutionally due.
In the previous elections held in November 2007, Prime Minister Manning's People's National Movement (PNM) won 26 of the 41 seats at stake, giving him a second consecutive term. The UNC took the remaining 15 seats. The Congress of the People (COP), a breakaway party from the UNC, failed to win any parliamentary representation. The PNM had governed the country for all but 11 years since the party was founded in 1956.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the world's leading exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), but the economy was severely damaged by the global economic crisis in 2009. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 3.2 per cent in 2009, the country's first annual GDP decline in 16 years.
Prior to the 2010 elections, the UNC accused the PNM of corruption and mismanagement of the country's energy wealth. The UNC argued that the PNM government had wasted energy revenues on giant building projects and two international summits instead of providing better services and more jobs for citizens.
Prior to the 2010 elections, and for the first time since the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1962, an opposition coalition - The People's Partnership - was formed in a bid to oust the ruling party. On 22 April 2010, five opposition parties (see note 1) - including the UNC and the COP - signed a unity pact.
Of the country's 1.2 million inhabitants, around 40 per cent are of Indian descent and 37.5 per cent of African origin, while 20.5 per cent of the population are described as "mixed". These communities traditionally vote along ethnic lines. The PNM draws support from Trinidadians of African descent, while the UNC has the backing of the Indian community. Mrs. Persad-Bissessar (of Indian ethnicity) pledged to cut across ethnic lines.
Prime Minister Manning's PNM ran on its record, citing poverty reduction and a better education system. It argued that the government had successfully brought billions of dollars in investment to the country's petrochemical industries. According to the government, the percentage of students enrolled in higher education increased fivefold from 9 per cent in 2001 to 45 per cent in 2010. The Prime Minister promised to construct 18 new modern police stations across the nation to improve security. However, the PNM was reportedly losing ground due to the economic slow-down, spiralling crime and a spate of corruption scandals.
The People's Partnership promised change. It accused the PNM government of massive corruption, failure to provide medical facilities and general mismanagement of the nation. COP leader and former Central Bank Governor Winston Dookeran said that the People's Partnership would work for safety and security, economic development, justice and the well-being of citizens, and introduce a new face of governance.
After boisterous campaign rallies, the polling took place in calm. In all, 69.45 per cent of the 1 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) declared that the elections had been free, fair and transparent. However, it recommended that the Election and Boundaries Commission use bigger polling stations to avoid congestion and provide facilities for persons with disabilities.
The final results gave 29 seats to the People's Partnership. The PNM took the remaining 12 seats. In all, 12 women were elected.
On 26 May, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar took the oath of the office as Prime Minister in a ceremony administered by President George Maxwell Richards, thereby becoming the first woman to assume the premiership in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Senate, an appointed chamber that is up for renewal in June 2010 (see note 2), comprised eight women among its 31 members.
On 18 June, the newly elected House of Representatives held its first session and elected former senator Mr. Wade Mark as its new Speaker. On the same day, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar appointed Mr. Timothy Hamel-Smith, an attorney-at-law, as Senate President.
Note 1:
The People's Partnership coalition comprised the following parties:
- United National Congress (UNC)
- Congress of the People (COP)
- Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP)
- Movement for Social Justice (MSJ)
- National Joint Action Committee (NJAC)
Note 2: 16 senators are nominated by the largest party in the House of Representatives while six are nominated by the opposition party. The President nominates nine independent senators. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 24 May 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
1'040'127
722'322 (69.45%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Number of women |
|
|
|
| People's Partnership |
29
|
6 |
|
|
|
| People's National Movement (PNM) |
12
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
30
12
28.57%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Parliament (28.05.2010)
Note:
The 'Distribution of seats' above refers to the 41 directly elected members. The 'Distribution of seats according to sex' refers to all 42 members of the House of Representatives (41 directly elected members and the Speaker). Mr. Wade Mark, who was not one of the directly elected members, became a member of the House by virtue of his election as Speaker. |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
