Trinidad and Tobago voters will go to the polls for elections | Trinidad and Tobago
Voters of the Gemini Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) will today poll in parliamentary elections described by analysts, the most unpredictable in decades.
Crime levels, the rise in trade tariffs and cost of living by Donald Trump occupy the race between the two major political parties, namely the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNC). Voters will select 41 members of the House of Representatives within a five-year term.
The trigger for the vote was the unprecedented decision by former Prime Minister Keith Rowley to stand up in March, becoming the first leader in the country to resign without losing in the polls.
Stuart Young, 50, was sworn in as prime minister, and one day later he dissolved parliament and summoned elections to seek public missions for his leaders.
Opposing him is UNC's 73-year-old leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who was prime minister from 2010 to 2015. Her party endured internal turmoil, high-profile resignations, and a series of election failures, but she retained a loyal base to run for the government's competitive competition against crime and the cost of living, against the government's record.
The election emergency three states followed closely, after a bloody gang war, announced on December 30. Last year, the T&T population was around 1.5 million, recording 624 homicides, making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Crime will be a major factor in the election because the government cannot control the situation,” said Hamid Ghany, a political analyst at West Indies.
UNC has pledged to adopt a range of initiatives to address crime, including the creation of a new Ministry of Defense and Justice. Meanwhile, PNM has committed to modernizing governance, digitalizing services and improving public safety by establishing a ministry of implementation and efficiency.
A poll commissioned by T&T Guardian and conducted a survey in Ghany from April 10 to 13 showed that UNC led PNM in most swing seats in Trinidad, while PNM maintained an advantage in Tobago. Of the 1,650 respondents in Trinidad's 11 marginal constituencies, 45% said they would vote for UNC if the election was held tomorrow, compared with 30% for PNM.
The survey also showed that 61% of Trinidad respondents were not satisfied with PNM's performance over the past decade. Young people insist that PNM's internal tracking demonstrates a leading edge in several key constituencies.
Ghani described the election as a competition between the “working class and the privileged class.” For those of 35-year-old maintenance worker Clinton Brewster and others, the most concerned thing is the rising cost of living, which exceeds the salary.
“Trade trade unions support UNC's opposition to the government and need to address the concerns of the working class in an attempt to repair the post-market economy. Class concerns have spanned race and ethnicity, which reduces the racial factors of this election,” Ghany said.
Historically, race has been a fault line in local politics, with PNM coming from Africa-Lindada and UNC in Trinidad communities in India. Despite repeated denials on weaponized races between both sides, the 2025 campaign includes accusing race messaging in AI-generated ads and making charges on class representatives.
Dharmacharya Pandit Rampersad Parasram, a senior member of the T&T Hindu community, said equality and equity are the “former burners” issues. He added that while the country had to work hard to deal with the impact of postcolonial heritage, “we gained independence 63 years ago. What was then.”
He said: “We just need to make sure what we have achieved in the fight for equality, fair competition and justice to ensure that these gains are not compromised in any way.
Ghani said that in addition to these internal issues, international background is also important. “This election is important in the Trump era because of the U.S. policy towards Venezuela.”
Earlier this month, the United States revoked two licenses granted in recent years to develop offshore gas projects between Trinidad, Tobago and Venezuela, hitting the country's economic growth forecast.
“If PNM wins the election, the intimacy between PM Young and the (Venezuelan) Maduro regime will be on the Trump administration's radar,” Garni said. “Given Kamla Persad-Bissess' favorable handling of Trump, if UNC wins the election, the Trump administration is likely to react differently from the Trump administration.”