Government & politics — Trinidad and Tobago
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Trinidad and Tobago: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- Country Name
Trinidad and Tobago
- Etymology- history of name
explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the larger island "La Isla de la Trinidad" (The Island of the Trinity) on 31 July 1498 on his third voyage; the tobacco grown and smoked by the natives of the smaller island or its elongated cigar shape may account for the "tobago" name, which is spelled "tobaco" in Spanish
- Independence
31 August 1962 (from the UK)
- National Holiday
Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Political system
- Government Type
parliamentary republic
- Constitution
- history: previous 1962;
- latest 1976 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, such as human rights and freedoms or citizenship, requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses and assent of the president; passage of amendments, such as the powers and authorities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and the procedure for amending the constitution, requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the House membership, two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership, and assent of the president; amended many times, last in 2007
- Legal System:
English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: Presiden
- t Christine KANGALOO (since 20 March 2023) head of government: Prime Minist
- er Kamla Susheila PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 1 May 2025) cabinet: Cabinet appointed
- from among members of Parliament election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by an electoral college of selected Senate and House of Representatives members for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party in the House o
- f Representatives as prime minister most recent election date: 20
- January 2023 election results: 2023: Christine KANGALOO elected president by the electoral college on 20 January 2023; electoral college vote Christine KANGALOO (PNM) 48,
- Israel KHAN (UNC) 22 2018: Paula-Mae WEEKES (independent) elected president; ran unopposed and was elected without a vote; she was Trinidad and Tabag
- o's first female head of state expected date of next election: by February 2028
- Legislative Branch:
Description
bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the president, and 6 by the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms;) House of Representatives (42 seats; 41 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and the house speaker - usually designated from outside Parliament; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections
Senate - last appointments on 28 August 2020 (next appointments in August 2025) House of Representatives - last held on 10 August 2020 (next to be held in 2025)
Election Results
- - Senate - percent by party - NA
- seats by party - PNM 16, UNC 6, independent 9
- composition as of February 2024 - men 19, women 13, percentage women 40.6% House of Representatives - percent by party - NA
- seats by party - PNM 23, UNC 19
- composition as of February 2024 - men 30, women 12, percentage women 28.6%
- total Parliament percentage women 33.8%
Note
- Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 assemblymen directly elected by simple majority vote and 4 appointed councilors - 3 on the advice of the chief secretary and 1 on the advice of the minority leader
- members serve 4-year terms)
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Judicature (consists of a chief justice for both the Court of Appeal with 12 judges and the High Court with 24 judges); note - Trinidad and Tobago can file appeals beyond its Supreme Court to the Caribbean Court of Justice, with final appeal to the Judicial Committee of the
- Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the parliamentary leader of the opposition; other judges appointed by the Judicial Legal Services Commission, headed by the chief justice and 5 members with judicial experience; all judges serve for life wi
- th mandatory retirement normally at age 65 subordinate courts: Courts of Summary Criminal Jurisdiction; Petty Civil Courts; Family Court
- Regions or States:
9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward regions: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco borough: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin cities: Port of Spain, San Fernando ward: Tobago
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- People's National Movement or PNM [Keith ROWLEY]
- United National Congress or UNC [Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR]
- Tobago People’s Party or Tobago [Farley AUGUSTINE]
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- yes residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Port of Spain
- Capital - geographic coordinate
10 39 N, 61 31 W
- Capital Time Difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Candace A. BOND (since 8 December 2022) embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port of Spain mailing address: 3410 Port of Spain Place, Washington DC 20521-3410
telephone
FAX
Email address and website
- acspos@state.gov
- https://tt.usembassy.gov/
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Anthony Wayne Jerome PHILLIPS-SPENCER, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) (since 27 June 2016)
chancery
1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036-1975
telephone
[1] (202) 467-6490
FAX
[1] (202) 785-3130
Email address and website
- embdcinfo@foreign.gov.tt
- https://foreign.gov.tt/missions-consuls/tt-missions-abroad/diplomatic-missions/embassy-washington-dc-us/
consulate(s) general
Miami, New York