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.)