What kind of government is trinidad and tobago

Six Senators are from the opposition and are appointed with guidance from the Leader of the Opposition. Nine independent Senators receive their appointment from the President and are tasked to represent the interests of other sectors of the civil society. Trinidad and Tobago has a hierarchical judiciary structure and at its helm is the Supreme Court of Judicature.

The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary. The magistracy has separate civil and criminal courts having original jurisdiction and headed by a Chief Magistrate. Final appeal in some particular matters is given by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which sits in London.

The government has however faced difficulties in instituting the necessary legislation to establish the CCJ. Local governance in Tobago is managed by the Tobago House of Assembly. The flag of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in However, disagreement over the structure of the federation and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago's withdrawal soon led to its collapse.

Trinidad and Tobago achieved full independence in and joined the British Commonwealth. Trinidad and Tobago's people are mainly of African or East Indian descent. Virtually all speak English.

Small percentages also speak Hindi, French patois, and several other dialects. Trinidad has two major folk traditions: Creole and East Indian. Creole is a mixture of African elements with Spanish, French, and English colonial culture. Trinidad's East Indian culture came to the island with indentured servants brought to fill a labor shortage created by the emancipation of the African slaves in Most remained on the land, and they still dominate the agricultural sector, but many have become prominent in business and the professions.

East Indians have retained much of their own way of life, including Hindu and Muslim religious festivals and practices. From until , Trinidad and Tobago, although completely independent, acknowledged the British monarch as the figurehead chief of state. In , the country adopted a republican Constitution, replacing Queen Elizabeth with a president elected by Parliament.

The general direction and control of the government rests with the cabinet, led by a prime minister and answerable to the bicameral Parliament. The 36 members of the House of Representatives are elected to terms of at least 5 years. Elections may be called earlier by the president at the request of the prime minister or after a vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives.

The Senate's 31 members are appointed by the president: 16 on the advice of the prime minister, six on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and nine independents selected by the president from among outstanding members of the community. Trinidad's seven counties and four largest cities are administered by elected councils. Tobago was given a measure of self-government in and is governed by the Tobago House of Assembly. In , Parliament passed legislation which gave Tobago greater self-government.

The country's highest court is the Court of Appeals, whose chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and leader of the opposition. Eric Williams, who became Prime Minister upon independence and remained in that position until his death in Most political parties, however, have sought to broaden their purview.

The PNM remained in power following the death of Dr. Williams, but its year rule ended in when the National Alliance for Reconstruction NAR , a rainbow party aimed at Trinidadians of both African and Indian descent, won a landslide victory by capturing 33 of 36 seats. Tobago's A. The NAR began to break down when the Indian component withdrew in In July , the Jamaat al Muslimeen, an extremist Black Muslim group with an unresolved grievance against the government over land claims, tried to overthrow the NAR government.

The group held the prime minister and members of parliament hostage for 5 days while rioting shook Port of Spain. After a long standoff with the police and military, the Jamaat al Muslimeen leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, and his followers surrendered to Trinidadian authorities.

In July, the Court of Appeal upheld the validity of a government amnesty given to the Jamaat members during the hostage crisis. Abu Bakr and other Jamaat members were jailed for two years while other courts debated the amnesty's validity. All members were eventually released after a ruling by the U. Privy Council. Manning became the new Prime Minister and Basdeo Panday continued to lead the opposition.

President Robinson invited PNM leader Manning to form a government before the end of the year, but the inability to break the tie delayed Parliament from meeting. Prime Minister Manning called elections in October of Both parties are committed to free market economic policies and increased foreign investment. Trinidad and Tobago has remained cooperative with the United States in the regional fight against narcotics trafficking and on other issues. This made 9 straight years of real growth after 8 years of economic decline.

The government of Prime Minister Patrick Manning has continued the sound macroeconomic policies of the previous regime, and is trying to further improve the investment climate. Long-term growth looks promising, as Trinidad and Tobago further develops its hydrocarbon, petrochemical, and metals sectors--with significant increases in exports--and continues its diversification efforts in services, tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. Trinidad and Tobago's strong growth rate over the past few years has led to trade surpluses over the past 4 years, even with high import levels due to industrial expansion and increased consumer demand.

The debt service ratio has fallen from Unemployment continues to drop slowly, from The Municipal Corporations Act and the Tobago House of Assembly Act comprise the principal legislation governing local government. The structure of local government comprises a single authority in Tobago and 14 municipal corporations in Trinidad, comprising two city corporations, three borough corporations and nine regional corporations.

Following the election, All cities and boroughs will regain revenue-raising power when the repeal of the current legislation is finalised. National government makes significant contributions, especially to the Tobago authority.