General Elections in Trinidad and Tobago

Prime Minister Stuart Young and Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad Bissessar (File Photo)

Election Announcement

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Prime Minister Stuart Young has announced the date for general elections, less than 24 hours after he was sworn in as the eighth prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

Young, 50, who replaced Dr. Keith Rowley as prime minister and named his 24-member cabinet on Monday, said the election will be held on April 28, four months ahead of the fifth anniversary of the 2020 general election when the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) won 22 of the 41 seats in the Parliament.

Opposition Reaction

The other 19 seats went to the main opposition United National Congress (UNC), which has been calling for an early general election and insisted that Young’s elevation to the top government position was unconstitutional.

The UNC said it was prepared to have the matter challenged in court, even as some prominent Senior Counsel brushed aside the comment.

Presidential Statement

In a three-page statement, President Kangaroo defended her decision to appoint a Young Prime Minister following what she termed “the present unique circumstances surrounding the transition from one Prime Minister to another.”

President Kangaroo said her statement was also being made “in the interest of transparency and to assist the public in understanding why I have acted as I have.”

Election Details

A brief statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said that Prime Minister Young had advised President Christine Kangaroo to dissolve Parliament as of midnight on Tuesday.

Nomination Day is April 4, and the statement said that the Writs of Election will be issued on March 18.

Party Preparations

In an immediate response, UNC and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar said the party, which has been holding talks with minor opposition parties and some trade unions, is prepared for the general election.

“The UNC is ready, and we will do what PNM MPs failed to do, which is to protect our country from being gifted to a selfish select group of Young’s financiers,” she said, adding that “Young hurriedly called the date to preempt the UNC legal action that was coming regarding his illegitimate and illegal anointing as Prime Minister.

“Young and the PNM fully well know that his appointment is illegal and unconstitutional. His appointment would be unconstitutional in the courts, and he would then have been forced to face a PNM internal election before the GE. Penny would have decimated him in any internal election, and the PNM financiers backed coup would have been put down”.

Other Contesting Parties

The PNM last weekend presented its 41 candidates at a special party convention held at Woodford Square in the heart of the capital, while the UNC has been holding cottage meetings and screening candidates to contest the election.

Apart from the two main political parties, the election will most likely be contested by Gary Griffith’s National Transformation Party (NTP) and the Tobago People’s Party, led by the current Chief Secretary in the Tobago House of Assembly, Farley Augustine.

Tobago People’s Party

Speaking on a radio program here, Augustine said that the party is ready for the elections and is confident it will win the two seats on the sister island, currently held by the PNM.

“We are ready. We have been preparing and lining up all our ducks in a row to ensure we can strategically win both Tobago East and Tobago West seats.

“We are confident, we are going into the election hopeful that Tobago will regain those two seats for itself so that Tobago will have a negotiating place of power and that Tobago’s business will once again get some supremacy in the national parliament,” Augustine said.

Analysis

Political analyst Derek Ramsamooj told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that “it is surprising that Prime Minister Young decided to call the election without allowing the electorate to see his prime ministerial leadership.

“We have to ask ourselves the strategic reason for calling the election. Does he believe that the Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad Bissessar, is sufficiently weak that now is the next opportune time to win an election”?

Ramsamooj said that the Drag oil deal between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago is tied to “economic uncertainties and political volatility,” given the United States’ position under Donald Trump to seek to reverse most of the decisions his predecessor, Joe Biden, took.

“Many had anticipated an election much later this year. This has made the election a 60-meter sprint,” Ramsamooj told CMC.

Conclusion

The general election in Trinidad and Tobago is set to take place on April 28, with the PNM, UNC, and other parties preparing for the polls. The election is expected to be highly contested, with the UNC and other opposition parties challenging the PNM’s hold on power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is the general election in Trinidad and Tobago?

A: The general election in Trinidad and Tobago is set to take place on April 28.

Q: Which parties are contesting the election?

A: The main parties contesting the election are the PNM, UNC, and other parties such as the National Transformation Party (NTP) and the Tobago People’s Party.

Q: Why did Prime Minister Young call the election?

A: The reason for calling the election is not explicitly stated, but it is believed to be due to the UNC’s challenge to Young’s appointment as Prime Minister and the PNM’s desire to consolidate power.