At stake in this election:

• 41 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President George Maxwell RICHARDS *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING
• Assembly: Trinidad and Tobago has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 31 seats and the House of Representatives with 41 seats.

* The President is elected by indirect vote by an electoral college consisting of ten senators, the Speaker, and twelve members of the House of Representatives.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by indirect vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate 31 members are appointed to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 41 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms.

* In the Senate, 16 members are appointed by the ruling party, 9 members are appointed by the president, and 6 members are appointed by the opposition party. All members serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: People's National Movement (PNM)
  • Leader: Patrick MANNING
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 26
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 20
• Party: United National Congress Alliance (UNC-A)**
  • Leader: Basdeo PANDAY
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 15
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 16
• Party: Congress of the People (COP)
  • Leader: Winston DOOKERAN
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,309,260 (2007)
• Registered Voters: 990,352 (November 2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 660,704 (2007)

·         Is Trinidad and Tobago a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (27 June 1985)

·         Has Trinidad and Tobago ratified CEDAW: Yes (12 January 1990)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 11 (House of Representatives) following the 2007 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 64 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Trinidad and Tobago a signatory to CRPD: Yes (27 September 2007)

·         Has Trinidad and Tobago ratified CRPD: Yes (25 June 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 196,389 (est.)