More Info:
At stake in this election:
- The office of President of Trinidad and Tobago
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: President George Maxwell RICHARDS *
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR **
- 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.
** The president usually appoints the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives
Description of electoral system:
- The President is indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve a 5-year term.
- Prime Minister is appointed by the President 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 plurality vote in single-member constituencies 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 Candidates in the Presidential race:
- Wade MARK
- Independent(s): N/A
- Amrika TIWARY-REDDY
- Independent(s): N/A
- Anthony Thomas Aquinas CARMONA***
- Independent(s): N/A
- Winston DOOKERAN****
- Independent(s): N/A
- Rolson NELSON*****
- Independent(s): N/A
- Kenneth LALLA
- Independent(s): N/A
- Robert RILEY
- Independent(s): N/A
- Hamid GHANY
- Independent(s): N/A
- Karl Terrence HUDSON-PHILLIPS
- Independent(s): N/A
*** CARMONA has been endorsed by the governing coalition, the People's Partnership, as their presidential nominee.
**** DOOKERAN has been endorsed by the Congress of the People Party (COP) as their presidential nominee.
***** NELSON has been endorsed by the leading opposition party, People's National Movement (PNM) as their presidential nominee.
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 1,348,240 (2013)
- Registered Voters: 23 (February 2013 Number of electors in the Electoral College.)
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 682,071 (2013)
· 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: No
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 12 (House of Representatives) following the 2010 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: 202,236 (est.)