History of Trinidad and Tobago

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The history of Trinidad and Tobago encompasses developments in the territory of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from prehistory to the present. Trinidad and Tobago, part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean , gained independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1962 . The islands have been a republic since August 1, 1976 . Trinidad was discovered by Christopher Columbus on July 31, 1498 on his third voyage . In the 16th century it became part of the Spanish colonial empire, while the rulership of Tobago changed frequently until the 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, both islands became British colonies , which they remained until the 20th century. After the Second World War, the islands gained increasing autonomy until they became independent from the United Kingdom in 1962.

Early history

The first settlement of the island of Trinidad, which belongs to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, by hunters and gatherers took place at least 7000 years ago. This makes it the earliest inhabited island in the Caribbean. As the first ceramic culture, the Saladoids colonized around 250 BC. Chr. Trinidad and Tobago . They had stretched a trade network across the whole of the Antilles to Hispaniola , which also included northern South America . The saladoids also brought agriculture to the islands. Traces of the saladoids can be found in Blanchisseuse , among other things . At the time of first contact with Europeans, the Arawak , an indigenous people from South America, lived in Trinidad . The Arawak- speaking tribes such as Nepoya and Suppoyo had displaced the Saladoids from the islands of the Caribbean in the 7th to 9th centuries AD, while Caribbean groups settled in the Antilles from 1200 AD. Tobago, on the other hand, was inhabited by the island Caribs and Galibi .

Discovery by Christopher Columbus and colonization (1498 to 1797)

Spanish colony of Trinidad

Christopher Columbus discovered the islands of Trinidad and Tobago on his third voyage in 1498

On his third voyage on July 31, 1498, Christopher Columbus first discovered the island of Trinidad, which he named after the Trinity because of its three prominent mountain peaks . The area around what is now Guayaguayare was the place where Christopher Columbus first set foot on Trinidadian soil on July 31, 1498. In the further course he discovered Tobago, which he initially called Bella Forma . The later, today's name Tobago is derived from the word tobacco . Columbus' son Diego Columbus ruled from 1506 to 1526 as admiral, governor and viceroy . Although Trinidad became a Spanish colony as early as 1532 and part of the newly founded viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535 , the actual Spanish settlement of the island did not begin until 1592. In 1533, Governor Antonio Sedeño built a settlement fortified by palisades near Cumucurapo, which after further fighting had to be a year later give up again. In 1560 a fort was built by the Spaniards where the eastern suburbs of Port of Spain are now , which they could hold. This year is therefore considered to be the founding year of Port of Spain, at that time still Puerto de los Hispanioles. In 1757 Arima was founded by the Capuchins , which in 1785 became the last Arawak reservation in Trinidad, as all other known tribes were relocated to Arima by Governor José María Chacón to provide settlement land for Catholics of French descent. Trinidad remained part of Spain until 1797 and was administered by a governor, including Rodrigo de Bastidas (1520) and, most recently, José María Chacón between 1783 and 1797.

Changing rule over Tobago

The original Indian inhabitants of Tobago were largely exterminated by the Spanish settlers, the survivors were assimilated. The island changed hands frequently and one was Cornelis Lampsins , the Baron of Tobago. Sometimes it was defended with great losses, and sometimes it was simply abandoned. Between 1498 and 1814, the island changed hands at least 33 times, which is the record in the changing colonial history of the Caribbean islands. In 1628 it was named a Dutch colony and in 1654 by Cornelis Lampsins in Nieuw-Walcheren . He founded Nieuw-Vlissingen in 1654, which was later named after him in Lampsinsburg, and today as Scarborough is the capital of Tobago. The French King Louis XIV appointed Cornelis Lampsins a baron in 1662 and made Tobago a French fiefdom and baronate . Later the Kingdom of England and even the Polish Duchy of Courland laid claim to the island and built fortified structures.

After Tobago became neutral territory in 1684, it first became a British colony in 1762 , before coming under French rule again on June 2, 1781. Many areas of land on the north and east coast of Trinidad were settled by French farmers in the late 18th century, which is reflected in numerous French settlement names such as Ecclessville, La Savanne or Libertville. In the Peace of Paris of September 3, 1783 between Great Britain and the United States , Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States . The Versailles treaties signed separately between Great Britain, France and Spain gave France Tobago. One of the French governors was General Arthur Dillon between 1786 and 1789 .

British rule (1797-1958)

Medal for the conquest of Trinidad and Tobago by British troops in 1797

On April 15, 1793, Tobago was again a British colony and remained this with the exception of a temporary renewed French rule in 1802 until it was united with Trinidad on January 1, 1889. On February 18, 1797, Trinidad also came under British rule. In the Treaty of Amiens between France and Great Britain concluded on March 27, 1802 , Great Britain returned overseas conquests to Trinidad and Ceylon . Thereupon Spain finally got Menorca back from Great Britain in exchange for Trinidad. In the Peace of Paris in 1814, Tobago finally became the property of Great Britain.

During the tenure of Governor Sir Ralph Woodford, 2nd Baronet (1813 to 1828), there was a significant economic and infrastructural boom in Trinidad

Among the first British governors (Lieutenant Governors) of the island of Trinidad were after Ralph Abercromby (1797), General Thomas Picton (1797 to 1803), Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet (1804 to 1811), Hector William Munro (1811 to 1813) and Ralph Woodford (1813-1828). After the British conquered Trinidad in 1797, sugar cane and cocoa were grown on a large scale in what is now the Chaguanas settlement area . After a few years there was a sugar refinery of the Woodford family, a sugar cane plantation of the Robinson family and a coconut and cocoa plantation of the de Verteuil family. In 1808 a devastating fire of unknown cause destroyed almost the entire city of Port of Spain and left its inhabitants homeless. Fortunately, only two people died. In the course of the reconstruction there were landfills in the Gulf of Paria, as a result of which new port facilities were built and after which Fort San Andres was positioned inland. During the term of office of Governor Woodford there was a significant economic and infrastructural boom in Trinidad. Shortly after his arrival, he led the 1813 steamship a -line "Trinidad Steamboat Company", the coastal cities of Trinidad with the first steamship of the West Indies operated, enabling a regular exchange of goods. In 1814, he declared English the second official language of the colony's jurisdiction, which had previously been exclusively Spanish-speaking. In 1815 Woodford intervened deeply in the Trinidadian social order when he restricted the allocation of land by ordinance and linked it to agricultural use in order to boost economic output and ordered the return of unused land to state ownership. A road between Manzanilla and Mayaro commissioned by him opened up almost the entire east coast for goods traffic. In 1817 Woodford was forced to give up his residence (Government House) in Belmont due to a legal dispute . He had the city council buy two abandoned sugar cane plantations for a new residence. Woodford built a new residence (the predecessor of today's President's House) from the home of the former owners, the Peschier family, and had the later Queen's Park laid out on the other part of the area , Port of Spain's first public green space, which was initially used as pastureland open to the general public . One of Woodford's administrative achievements was the transfer of previously autonomous religious schools under state supervision. He commissioned the reconstruction of the two most important churches in Trinidad, which were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1808: the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception . Both church buildings were designed by Woodford's secretary Philip Reinagle, the son of Philip Reinagle . At Woodford's instigation, the British government held talks with the Vatican in order to remove the Catholics of Trinidad from Spanish influence, which resulted in the Vatican separating Trinidad from the diocese of Santo Tomás de Guayana and assigning it its own territorial abbey . The construction of the Botanical Garden of Port of Spain goes back to Woodford, where he introduced the useful plants clove tree , nutmeg tree and cinnamon tree (variety unknown) to Trinidad for the first time as part of the establishment of the area originally belonging to his private residence . In 1820, Woodford professionalized the island's health care system by banning the practice of medical activities without proper training. In 1824 he worked with the British Colonial Minister Henry Bathurst to develop the Amelioration Order in Council , a cabinet order that significantly improved the legal situation and living conditions of Trinidadian slaves, although Woodford acted primarily as a braking force. In 1826 he was the first census (census) in the history of Trinidad perform. Previously, the number of people in Trinidad and their nationalities and legal status were only recorded at irregular intervals. With the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834, the slaves were replaced by contract workers, mostly from British India. The working and living conditions of these contract workers differed only slightly from those of slavery.

The Governor's Palace (1893)

Later governors of Trinidad included Charles Elliot (1854 to 1856), John Manners-Sutton (1864 to 1866), Arthur Hamilton-Gordon (1866 to 1870), William Cairns (1874), Arthur Havelock (1885) and most recently William Robinson ( 1885 to 1889), who was the first governor of Trinidad and Tobago between 1889 and 1891 after the unification of the islands of Trinidad and Tobago on January 1, 1889 . The governors of the island of Tobago included General Thomas Picton (1803), Dominick Daly (1852), Cornelius Hendricksen Kortright (1864 to 1872) and Robert Baxter Llewelyn (1885 to 1888). In 1866, oil was discovered and in 1902, Trinidad's first commercial oil well was opened in Guayaguayare. In 1906, the town of Point Fortin grew with the help of oil production, which was particularly high in this region. The oil, which has been exported since 1910, helped the sugar cane industry, cocoa cultivation and processing to achieve economic success. Other governors-general were Frederick Broome (1891 to 1896) and Cornelius Alfred Moloney (1900 to 1904), during whose tenure the Red House, the seat of administration, was destroyed in the 1903 water riots. Other governors included George Le Hunte (1909 to 1916), John Chancellor (1916 to 1921), Horace Archer Byatt (1924 to 1930) and Arthur George Murchison Fletcher (1936 to 1938), who motivated the local workers to join unions to organize.

During the Second World War was on September 2, 1940 between Great Britain and the USA Destroyers for Bases Agreement (Destroyer Base Deal) completed. The British received 50 older US destroyers and in return they granted the US bases in the Bahamas , Jamaica , Antigua , St. Lucia , Trinidad and British Guiana . During World War II, Trinidad was the largest allied military base in the Caribbean as it played an essential role in anti-submarine combat in the Atlantic and Caribbean. From 1941 to 1949, Carlsen Air Force Base was located in the southern part of Chaguanas , a US air force base that was awarded to the USAAF as part of the much-criticized destroyer-for-base agreement . During this time, the foundations for today's infrastructure and industry on the island were created. In the post-war period, Major General Hubert Elvin Rance served as governor from 1950 to 1955.

The road to independence (1958 to 1962)

In 1955, Edward Beetham succeeded Major General Rance as the new governor of Trinidad and Tobago, who initiated the transition to independence for the colony. He carried out his office in turbulent times: The colony's aspirations for autonomy were taken into account with multiple restructuring of the country's legislative body, the Legislative Council . By 1949, half of its members were appointed by the British government, and the governor was able to secure a majority of the appointed members with his additional vote. In 1949 a constitution was changed that allowed all members of the Legislative Council to vote, but gave the governor the right to veto all decisions. Another constitutional amendment was worked out under Beetham, which made a board of directors elected by the Legislative Council Chief Minister and assigned the official duties for the interests of the colony to him. The constitution came into force under Beetham's rule in September 1956. After the elections of September 24, 1956, Beetham ensured that key positions in the administration of the colony were filled with members of the London-favored People's National Movement (PNM) party . First Chief Minister (Chief Minister) was then on October 28, 1956 Eric Eustace Williams , whose PNM had received 13 of the 24 seats on the Legislative Council.

On January 3, 1958, Trinidad and Tobago became a member of the West Indian Federation , which also included Antigua , Barbados , Dominica , Grenada , Jamaica (this also included the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands as dependent areas), Montserrat , St. Christopher-Nevis- Anguilla , St. Lucia and St. Vincent belonged, and existed until May 31, 1962. The planned capital was an area called Chaguaramas , a few kilometers west of Port of Spain, today's capital of Trinidad and Tobago. The actual capital was Port of Spain itself, as the planned capital was not completed until the state was dissolved. In 1959, under Beetham's leadership, the party government system was replaced by a cabinet government system, whereupon Trinidad and Tobago received internal self-government and Williams became premier. On July 16, 1960, Trinidad gained full autonomy, which meant for Beetham the handover of the governorship to the Trinidadian Solomon Hochoy , the last governor of the British colony of Trinidad. In the December 4, 1961 elections, the PNM won 190,003 of the vote (57%) and 20 of the 30 seats.

Trinidad and Tobago independence (1962 to 1976)

The Red House , seat of the
House of Representatives

On August 31, 1962, Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from the United Kingdom, but initially remained part of the British Commonwealth of Nations as a parliamentary monarchy . The first governor general of the then independent country was Solomon Hochoy, while the "father of the nation" Eric Eustace Williams was now the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago . In the elections of November 7, 1966, the PNM emerged victorious again and received 158,573 votes (52.44%) 24 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives .

On February 26, 1970, young people demonstrating against Caribbean students being tried as black power supporters in Canada occupied the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain and dressed two white figures of saints in black clothes. Although Archbishop Anthony Pantin explicitly stated that this was not profanation , the police used this as an excuse to take action against the occupiers of the cathedral. On the same day, violent clashes broke out between the Black Power movement, supported by the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), and the police. The Black Power Revolution , as the events of February, March and April 1970 in Trinidad have been called since then, has continued to expand. On April 4 and 5, 1970, a third of the population took part in protest marches, whereupon the government declared a state of emergency on April 21, 1970 .

In the elections that followed on May 24, 1971, Prime Minister Williams' PNM won a landslide victory and won all 36 House seats with 99,723 votes (84.14%). On September 15, 1972, Governor General Sir Solomon Hochoy was replaced as Governor General by the diplomat and previous CEO of the airline BWIA West Indies Airways Ellis Clarke . William Demas , who was president of the negotiations on the Chaguaramas Treaty , which led to the establishment of CARICOM in July 1973 , became the successor organization of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) on August 1st after the establishment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 1973 first Secretary General of CARICOM and held this office until 1974. On August 31, 1974, the government acquired the facilities of Shell Trinidad Limited and founded the state-owned Trinidad and Tobago Oil Co. ( TRINTOC ).

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (since 1976)

People's National Movement Governments (1976-1986)

Ellis Clarke was Governor General from 1972 to 1976 and the first
President of Trinidad and Tobago from 1976 to 1987

After a new constitution came into force on August 1, 1976, the island nation severed its ties to the British monarchy and became an independent republic. The former Governor General Ellis Clarke then became the first President , although he had no executive powers. In the subsequent elections on September 13, 1976, the PNM won 169,194 votes (54.23%) and 24 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives. The United Labor Front (ULF) received 84,780 votes (27.17%) and ten seats, while the Democratic Action Congress (DAC) received 25,586 votes (8.2%). On September 22, 1976, Prime Minister Williams presented his new government, which included John S. Donaldson as Secretary of State, George Michael Chambers as Secretary of the Treasury and Errol Edward Mahabir as Minister of Petroleum and Mining. On July 16, 1977, the Port of Spain-born mannequin Janelle Commissiong was named Miss Universe as the first black woman in the world . On August 7, 1978 Tobago received internal self-government and in 1980 its own parliament (House of Assembly) , the first chairman of which was the chairman of the DAC Arthur NR Robinson in December 1980 .

After the death of Eric Eustace Williams on March 26, 1981, the Vice Chairman of the People's National Movement George Michael Chambers took over the office of Prime Minister on March 30, 1981 as his successor. In the next election on November 9, 1981, the PNM won with 218,557 votes (52.95%) 26 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives, so that Prime Minister Chambers was confirmed in office. The Organization for National Reconstruction (ONR) by Karl Hudson-Phillips won while 91,704 votes (22.22%), was due to the electoral law but no seat. In the United Labor Front (ULF) of Basdeo Panday , a longtime union official, accounted for 62,781 Votes (15.2 1%) and eight seats as well as on the Democratic Action Congress (DAC) by Arthur NR Robinson 15,390 votes (3.73%) and two seats. On November 17, 1981, Chambers presented his cabinet, which included Basil Ince as Foreign Secretary and Patrick Manning as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Since a third of the national product, over 60 percent of state revenue and 70 percent of exports are generated by crude oil, natural gas and their processing, a decline in the oil price as in the 1980s also endangered the entire economic development.

Government of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (1986-1991)

Arthur NR Robinson , who was the first non-PNM Prime Minister from 1986 to 1991 and who was President from 1997 to 2003

In the elections on December 15, 1986, the People's National Movement , which had ruled since 1956, was confronted for the first time with a united and broad-based opposition, the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). The moderate NAR comprised four parties, namely the United Labor Front (ULF) by Basdeo Panday, Organization for National Reconstruction (ONR) by Karl Hudson-Phillips, the Democratic Action Congress (DAC) by Arthur NR Robinson and the Tapia House Movement ( THM) under Lloyd Best . The leader of the NAR was Arthur NR Robinson. The elections brought a devastating defeat for the PNM, led by Prime Minister Chambers, which lost 20.91 percentage points and 23 seats in parliament with only 183,635 votes (32.03%) and only three of the 36 MPs were able to stand. In contrast, the National Alliance for Reconstruction received 380,029 votes (66.29%) and 33 seats. On December 16, 1986, Arthur NR Robinson was sworn in as the first Prime Minister who was not a member of the PNM and then presented his 13-member cabinet, which included Basdeo Panday as Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The NAR also won eleven of the twelve seats in the House of Assembly in Tobago.

Due to political differences with the ruling National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), President Ellis Clarke renounced a third term on March 13, 1987 after the end of his second term. After a five-day provisional administration from March 13 to 18, 1987 by Michael Williams , the President of the Senate, on March 19, 1987 the independent judge Noor Hassanali became the new president. At the same time, there was a government crisis in 1988 after Foreign Minister Basdeo Panday resigned and in April 1989, together with other dissidents , founded a new party with the United National Congress (UNC), which elected him President in July 1990. Six MPs joined the UNC, so that instead of the PNM it became the strongest opposition party and Basdeo Panday became the opposition leader .

On July 27, 1990, militant Muslim rebels led by Yasin Abu Bakr stormed the parliament building and the television station in an attempted coup and took Prime Minister Robinson, five ministers and more than 30 people hostage. This led to an outbreak of riots and looting in the capital Port of Spain, as Muslims made up only six percent of the population after Catholics (26 percent) and Hindus (22.5 percent). 22 people are said to have died in the action. Since President Noor Hassanali is in London , his acting deputy, Senate President Joseph Emmanuel Carter , declared a state of emergency. With the help of a church representative, negotiations began on a release and domestic reforms. After Prime Minister Robinson promised the Muslim hostage-takers amnesty and new elections within three months on July 30, 1990, the approximately 40 hostages were released on August 1, 1990. In mid-August 1990 it was announced that the Muslim group would be charged with treason and murder.

Renewed power gain of the People's National Movement (1991 to 1995)

Patrick Manning was Prime Minister from 1991 to 1995 and again from 2001 to 2010
Edwin W. Carrington ,
originally from Trinidad and Tobago, served as Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) between 1992 and 2010

The 1991 election campaign was marked by the discussions about the controversial strict economic plan of the NAR government, the high unemployment rate, the rise in the crime rate, the deterioration of public institutions and the alienation and impoverishment of large parts of the population. In the December 16, 1991 election, the People's National Movement , headed by former Minister for Energy and Natural Resources and now PNM Chairman Patrick Manning, won 233,950 votes (45.02%) and won 21 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives. Basdeo Panday's United National Congress (UNC) received 151,046 votes (29.06%) and 13 seats, while Prime Minister Robinson's ruling National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) only received 127,335 votes (24.5%) and two Got seats. Manning was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on December 17, 1991 and a few days later presented his 24-member cabinet, which included Ralph Maraj as Prime Minister. For the first time in the country's history, Occah Seapaul, a woman, was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

During his first term in office, Manning initially continued the realignment and liberalization of economic policy that had already been started by the previous government. Furthermore, the state-set exchange rate of the Trinidad and Tobago dollar was replaced by an exchange rate determined by the foreign exchange market and several state-owned companies were sold to foreign owners. This step in particular was heavily criticized by the now opposition NAR. Although this also wanted the liquidation of the state-owned companies, but on the condition that they were sold to local buyers. On August 1, 1992, Edwin W. Carrington became Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and held that office for more than 18 years until December 31, 2010. On December 7, 1992, new elections were held for the House of Assembly of Tobago, at the the NAR in turn received eleven and the PNM only one seat. The Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago ( Petrotrin ) was created in 1993 from a merger of the state oil companies TRINTOC and TRINTOPEC .

In addition, there was a domestic political crisis in 1995 following the dismissal of Foreign Minister Ralph Maraj and his “self-proclamation” as “father of the nation”. In by-elections, the PNM lost one seat to the UNC. Maraj also joined the opposition party NAR. As a result, the PNM only had a majority of one seat in parliament. In August 1995, Prime Minister Manning declared a state of emergency and placed the Speaker of the House of Representatives under house arrest. Because of this crisis, Manning called new elections for November 1995 in October 1995, one year before the end of the legislative period.

First administration of the United National Congress (1995 to 2001)

The UNC politician Basdeo Panday held the office of Prime Minister between 1995 and 2001, making him the country's first head of government of Indian origin
The Chaguanas-born writer VS Naipaul was honored with the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature .

In the November 6, 1995 elections, Mannings PNM was just ahead of Basdeo Panday's United National Congress (UNC) with 240,372 votes (45.76%) with 256,159 votes (48.76 %). Both parties received 17 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives, while the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) of former Prime Minister Arthur NR Robinson won both seats for Tobago with 24,983 votes (4.76%). After this stalemate, the UNC and NAR concluded a coalition agreement , so that Panday was sworn in as Prime Minister on November 9, 1995, making him the country's first head of government of Indian origin . On November 15, 1995, he presented his cabinet to “national unity”, which in turn included Ralph Maraj as Foreign Minister and Arthur NR Robinson as Minister for Special Tasks and Affairs of Tobago. On December 9, 1996, new elections were held for the House of Assembly in Tobag, in which the NAR again received ten and the PNM only one seat. Another seat in the meeting house was won by an independent candidate.

On February 14, 1997 Arthur NR Robinson was elected by an electoral body with 46 votes for the new president, while the opposition candidate Anthony Lucky received 18 votes. The office of President Robinson took officially on March 1, 1997 as the successor to Noor Hassanali .

In the elections of December 11, 2000, the United National Congress (UNC) was again the strongest party with 307,791 votes (51.74%) and received 19 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives, while the PNM with 276,334 votes (46.45%) 16 seats were lost. The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) won only one of the two seats for Tobago with 7,409 votes (1.25%). The election campaign was marked by mutual accusations by the two major parties of having committed electoral fraud. Police ultimately arrested 21 people accused of registering voters in other constituencies. A team of six Commonwealth of Nations election observers, deployed to prevent election fraud, said the elections were free and fair. After the election result was confirmed by the election commission, Panday was sworn in again as Prime Minister on December 20, 2000 and presented his new government on December 22, 2000, which included Mervyn Assam as Foreign Minister and Gerard Yetming as Minister of Finance. On 27 December 2000, the opposition PNM applied to the High Court set aside the election results of two successful UNC candidates on the grounds that they had a candidate without permission for possession of another nationality and therefore against the people Representation Act (Representation of the People's Act) violated would have. After President Robinson refused to swear in seven cabinet ministers appointed by the prime minister on January 2, 2001 on the grounds that they had lost the elections, the political division deepened. On February 7, 2001, the appointed ministers filed a constitutional complaint demanding a court decision regarding the president's further refusal to appoint them senators to the government. The crisis ended a week later on February 14, 2001 when President Robinson finally approved the appointment of the seven ministers.

On October 10, 2001, Prime Minister Panday asked President Robinson to dissolve the House of Representatives in preparation for early elections on December 10, 2001, almost exactly one year after the previous elections. The reason for the early elections was another government crisis after three UNC ministers in the House of Representatives voted against their own bills.

The Chaguanas-born writer VS Naipaul was honored with the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature .

Renewed election victory of the PNM and second Manning government (2001 to 2010)

2001 election and constitutional crises

Prime Minister Patrick Manning had to rule without a parliament at the beginning of his second term as Prime Minister between 2001 and 2002 due to a stalemate in the House of Representatives

During the election campaign, opposition leader Patrick Manning promised higher wages for the elderly, the lifting of all restrictions on civil servants, the distribution of a one-month income and a reduction in taxes within 100 days of the election victory of his People's National Movement . The ruling UNC of Prime Minister Panday promised free textbooks for all primary school children in the event of re-election, as well as an annual financial contribution for all secondary school students. The December 10, 2001 election ended in a stalemate. Both the PNM with 260,075 votes (46.51%) and the United National Congress (UNC) with 279,002 votes (49.9%) each received 18 seats in the 36-member Senate. The election observation team deployed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) described the elections as free and fair, but expressed concern about the electoral failures that prevented many people from voting. After the election, the previously ruling UNC and the previously opposition PNM held a constitutional debate about which party should form the government. Opposition leader Manning rejected Prime Minister Panday's proposal to divide power in a government of national unity to break the deadlock. Both then met with President Robinson and agreed, in accordance with the constitution, to give him the power to appoint a new prime minister. On December 19, 2001, both parties agreed on a new Speaker of the House of Representatives, namely the former Rector of the University of the West Indies (UWI), George Maxwell "Max" Richards . Shortly after this agreement, however, the UNC stated that Richards had appeared as a supporter of the PNM platform in the December 11, 2000 elections and therefore decided to reject Richards as a possible candidate for the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives .

On December 24, 2001, there was another uproar, as President Robinson did not appoint Panday from the party with the most votes, but Manning as the new Prime Minister and swore him in on the same day. Manning presented his second government on December 26, 2001, in which he himself took over the office of finance minister and which included Knowlson Gift as foreign minister. On December 26, 2001, the UNC withdrew from the political pact that had resolved the election patters. In doing so, it deprived parliament of any kind of legislation, as the House of Representatives could not meet. Panday announced that he would no longer accept the agreement with Prime Minister Manning and therefore called for new elections. In January 2002, the Elections and Boundaries Commission ( EBC ) declared that around 500 voters had been removed from the electoral roll because they had failed to re-register in their constituency and were therefore no longer eligible to vote. On January 6, 2002, Howard Chin Lee was appointed Minister for National Security.

Since the House of Representatives could not elect a speaker twice and was therefore unable to work, Prime Minister Manning had to rule without a parliament. Due to this recent constitutional crisis, Manning did not have a parliamentary majority and could not bring about any parliamentary decisions without an elected parliamentary speaker. The Prime Minister was not able to adopt a new budget and since the previous budget expired at the end of September 2002, he was forced to set a date for new elections for October 7, 2002.

New elections in 2002 and confirmation of the PNM government

George Maxwell "Max" Richards was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago between 2003 and 2013

The pre-election campaign on October 7, 2002 was marked by mutual accusations from Prime Minister Manning and opposition leader Basdeo Panday, who himself was Prime Minister between 1995 and 2001. Due to the government crisis caused by the stalemate in the House of Representatives, both spoke out in favor of constitutional reform so that the government would have a viable majority in parliament. Despite the feared race riots and the tight results expected in some electoral districts, election day on October 7, 2002 passed without any notable incidents. The PNM of Prime Minister Manning emerged from the elections as the clear winner with a narrow absolute majority of 308,762 votes (50.89%) and received 20 of the 36 seats in the House of Representatives. Opposition leader Panday's UNC received 284,391 votes (46.87%) and had 16 MPs. Then Patrick Manning was sworn in again as Prime Minister on October 9, 2002. On October 17, 2002, Barendra Sinanan was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives, while Linda Baboolal was re-elected President of the Senate. After parliament was constituted, Manning presented a draft law that increased the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 36 to 41 in order to prevent future constitutional crises caused by a stalemate in parliament. The second term was marked by an increase in crime and corruption. Prime Minister Manning was particularly accused of appointing his wife Hazel Manning as Senator and Minister of Education. On the other hand, because of higher revenues from oil and gas sales, his government was able to lower income tax and reintroduce free education.

On February 14, 2003, the former rector of the University of the West Indies (UWI), George Maxwell "Max" Richards , was elected by the electoral college in the election of the president with 43 votes and was thus able to prevail clearly against his opponent Ganace Ramdial the 25 votes were lost. On March 17, 2003, Richards officially took office as the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago. On August 12, 2003, Trinidad and Tobago signed an agreement with Venezuela on the exploitation of oil and natural gas reserves in the area of ​​the shared ocean borders.

In the presence of ten heads of government, the Caribbean Court of Justice was inaugurated on April 16, 2005 in Port of Spain . The Caribbean Court of Justice serves the 13 participating states as an arbitration body for disputes within the framework of the Common Caribbean Market CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy) . The Caribbean Court of Justice is also to their previous highest court of appeal, the London-based Privy Privy Council for Commonwealth countries in the region ( Privy Council ) to replace the numerous in recent years in auditing processes of countries courts imposed for murder death sentences had discarded. The government of Prime Minister Manning has so far not been able to pass the constitutional amendment necessary to replace the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice , as the opposition under Basdeo Panday made its approval dependent on the replacement of the previous majority suffrage with proportional representation.

Four bomb attacks carried out since July 2005 have been blamed on the radical Islamic group Jamaat al Muslims . In 1990 she tried to take over government in a coup. Their leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, and four of his supporters were arrested in connection with the July 2005 attacks, but were released two days later. The attempt to arrest Abu Bakr on November 7, 2005 on the basis of the anti-terrorism law just passed by parliament also failed. The charge of calling for acts of violence in radical Islamic sermons had to be dropped at the end of January 2006; only the charge of illegal weapon possession was maintained. Due to the sharp increase in criminal violence - in the first nine months of 2005 alone, the police recorded more than 300 murders and 160 kidnappings - over 10,000 people protested on October 23, 2005 in the capital Port of Spain against the government's inability to carry out crime To become master. On March 16, 2006, Prime Minister Manning announced his intention to call in security officers from New Scotland Yard to assist the police . Energy Secretary Eric Williams resigned on January 9, 2006 after a corruption scandal. He was accused of accepting bribes for awarding government contracts. On April 24, 2006, former prime minister and opposition leader Basdeo Panday was sentenced to two years imprisonment for tax evasion, but was released on bail shortly afterwards. He then resigned from his political offices. On September 26, 2006, Prime Minister Manning accepted the resignation of Foreign Minister Knowlson Gift, who was succeeded on September 29, 2006 by Arnold Piggott . Due to the rise in oil prices and the commissioning of the world's largest liquefied gas plant, the economy grew by 12 percent in 2006. Due to the dominance of the oil and gas sector, Prime Minister Manning announced on October 4, 2006, when the 2006/2007 budget was presented, that the economy would be more differentiated in the medium term.

On January 3, 2007, Panday again took over the political leadership of the United National Congress (UNC). On March 13, 2007, the court of appeal overturned the two-year prison sentence for tax evasion. On March 20, 2007, Prime Minister Manning and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez signed an agreement in Caracas for the joint exploitation of the oil and gas reserves off the mouth of the Orinoco (Plataforma Deltana) . In the course of the criminal proceedings against Panday, which had turned into a judicial scandal, the Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma had to put himself in custody on November 30, 2006. He was accused of influencing Panday's trial. On March 5, 2007, however, the trial against him was unexpectedly dropped.

2007 election and confirmation for Mannings PNM

Football official Austin "Jack" Warner (right) stepped onto the political stage in the 2007 elections as co-chair of the United National Congress alongside Basdeo Panday
The former governor of the central bank Winston Dookeran founded another major party with the Congress of the People (COP)

On September 28, 2007, Prime Minister Manning called new elections for November 5, 2007. The House of Representatives and the Senate were dissolved on the same day. The election campaign was marked by a heated debate over the constitutional reforms proposed by the government. The opposition UNC feared that the prime minister would gain too much power. He wanted to achieve another term of office in order to continue his economic and social policy and thereby lead the island republic to a "developed status" by 2020. He promised to "bring the government closer to the people". The PNM received its substantial support from residents of African descent, who made up more than 37 percent of the population. The UNC, on the other hand, had strong support from the people of Indian descent, who make up around 40 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago. The party's co-chairs were Basdeo Panday and football official Austin "Jack" Warner , who was FIFA Vice-President, CONCACAF President and President of the Caribbean Football Union .

In addition to these two traditional parties, the Congress of the People (COP), which was founded in August 2006 as a spin-off from the UNC and led by the former governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago , Winston Dookeran , entered for the first time. This advocated a "new policy" independent of ethnic considerations. The COP called for a change in the electoral system from the previous majority vote to a proportional representation that would ensure better representation in parliament. Dookeran turned down an election alliance offered by Panday with the UNC.

During the election campaign in October 2007, there were some violent acts, with a UNC activist shot dead and a COP candidate seriously injured being taken to hospital. Prime Minister Manning condemned the violence. The elections were largely peaceful, and the CARICOM election observation team once again described the election as free and fair. From the November 5, 2007 election, Mannings People's National Movement (PNM) emerged victorious with 299,813 votes (46.01%) despite a loss of 4.87 percentage points and received 26 seats in the House of Representatives, which now had 41 seats. The United National Congress (UNC), led by Panday and Warner, got 194,425 votes (29.84%) and suffered massive losses of 17.03 percentage points, so that it could only have 15 MPs. The Congress of the People (COP) of Dookeran did not get a seat despite the 148,041 votes received (22.72%) due to the electoral system it criticized. On November 7, 2007, Patrick Manning was sworn in again as Prime Minister and formed a new government, the eleven women were among them, including Paula Gopee-Scoon as Secretary of State and Karen Nunez-Tesheira as Minister of Finance. On November 13, 2007, Manning named Danny Montano as President of the Senate. On December 17, 2007, the constituent meeting of the House of Representatives took place, which Barendra Sinanan elected as its spokesman.

Manning stood up for the resumption of the execution of death sentences, saying "the death penalty is an indispensable part of the fight against crime". To this end, he called for a change in the law that should speed up the revision process for death sentences. The execution of the death penalty had been de facto suspended following a ruling by the Judicial Committee of the Council of Thrones , as the committee had considered the execution of the death penalty to be "cruel" (cruel and unusual punishment) after a prison term of more than five years . Following this judgment, the defense lawyers succeeded in extending the duration of the appeal proceedings until a final judgment was reached beyond this fixed five-year period, so that no more death sentences have been carried out since 1999.

On February 11, 2008, the electoral college declared President George Maxwell Richards re-elected for a second five-year term as he was the only candidate for that office. In the course of the global recession , the slump in liquefied gas exports in 2009 led to a severe economic crisis. The gross domestic product shrank by 3.2 percent in 2009, the first slump in the country's gross domestic product in 16 years.

UNC election victory and first woman as Prime Minister (2010 to 2015)

UNC lawyer Kamla Persad-Bissessar was the first woman Prime Minister between 2010 and 2015

On April 8, 2010, Prime Minister Patrick asked President George Maxwell Richards to dissolve Parliament after a motion of censure against the Prime Minister was announced the next day. The motion of censure was introduced in March 2010 by the new opposition leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar . The lawyer and former attorney general accused the government of losing track of a number of corruption scandals in which the government's urban development company was implicated. She criticized the Prime Minister's decision to dissolve Parliament as an act of cowardice. The elections were announced for May 24, 2010, around two and a half years before the end of the five-year constitutional term. The UNC also faced the PNM with corruption and mismanagement of the country's rich energy resources. In the opinion of the opposition, the government would have wasted income from the energy reserves on gigantic construction projects and two international summits instead of using them to improve services and create more jobs for the residents of Trinidad and Tobago.

On April 22, 2010 the three opposition parties UNC, Congress of the People (COP) of Winston Dookeran and Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) signed a unification pact and formed an opposition coalition with The People's Partnership (PP). The PP promised the voters an improvement in public safety and order, economic development, justice and the living conditions of the residents. During the election campaign, Prime Minister Manning pointed to his successes in his thirteen-year term, such as reducing poverty and improving the education system. Its billions of US dollars have been invested in the petrochemical industry and the number of people entering higher education has quintupled from 9 percent (2001) to 45 percent (2010). If re-elected, the Prime Minister promised to build 18 new, more modern police stations to improve security. According to the election observers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the elections on May 24, 2010 were free, fair and transparent. However, it was recommended that the Election and Borders Commission use larger polling stations to avoid traffic jams and provide facilities for people with disabilities.

In the elections, the PNM received 287,458 votes (39.7%) and lost 14 seats, so that it was only represented by 12 members in the 41-member House of Representatives. For the People's Partnership (PP) of the United National Congress attracted (316,600 votes, 43.72%) with 21 MPs, the Congress of the People (102,265 votes, 14.12%) with six mandates and the Tobago Organization of the People ( 15,371 votes, 2.12%) with two seats for Tobago in the House of Representatives, so that the PP ruled with 29 of the 41 seats in the House of Representatives.

On May 26, 2010, Kamla Persad-Bissessar was sworn in by President George Maxwell Richards as the successor to Patrick Manning, becoming the first woman to take over the post of Prime Minister in the country's history. On May 28, 2010 she presented her cabinet, which included Surujrattan Rambachan as Secretary of State, Brigadier General John Sandy as Secretary of State for National Security, Winston Dookeran as Secretary of the Treasury and Austin "Jack" Warner as Secretary of State for Labor and Transport. On June 18, 2010, the first session of the newly elected House of Representatives took place, at which the former Senator Wade Mark was elected as the new speaker. Also on June 18, 2010, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar appointed attorney Timothy Hamel-Smith as the new President of the Senate.

In November 2011, the Prime Minister announced at a press conference that security forces had foiled an attack on her and other members of the government. In the course of subsequent investigations, 17 people were arrested, but had to be released in December due to a lack of evidence. The background to the affair was never clarified. The opposition and some media expressed the suspicion that the allegations had served to extend a state of emergency that was in force at the time beyond the planned end.

Independent Supreme Court Justice Anthony Carmona served as the sixth President of Trinidad and Tobago between 2013 and 2018

On March 3, 2012, a motion of no confidence was tabled in the House of Representatives against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, which was rejected with 29 votes from the governing coalition against 11 yes votes from the opposition. In a cabinet reshuffle on June 22, 2012, Winston Dookeran was appointed as the new Secretary of State, Larry Howai as the new Secretary of the Treasury and Jack Warner as the new Secretary of State for National Security. Howai, who joined the cabinet, was sworn in on June 25, 2012. In the parliamentary elections on the autonomous island of Tobago on January 21, 2013, the PNM won all twelve seats in the House of Assembly with 61 percent , while the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) did not, despite 37 percent of the votes cast, due to the majority vote was represented more in the island parliament.

On February 15, 2013, the electoral body elected the previous Supreme Court Justice Anthony Carmona on the proposal of the ruling UNC as the sixth President without opposing candidates, after the PNM had also spoken out in favor of the independent lawyer. On March 18, 2013, he officially took office as the successor to George Maxwell Richards. On April 21, 2013, the Secretary of State for National Security Jack Warner resigned and was then replaced by Emmanuel George . Just a few months later, as part of a cabinet reshuffle, Gary Griffith took over as Minister for National Security on September 5, 2013. On February 2, 2015, Carl Alfonso took over the post of Minister for National Security as part of a new government reshuffle. In by-elections , the opposition PNM in the constituency of St Joseph and the also opposition Independent Liberal Party (ILP) in the constituency of Chaguanas West won seats, which previously held the ruling People's Partnership (PP), so that the government majority in 27 of the 41 seats in the House of Representatives decreased.

The PNM returned to power in the 2015 elections

Keith Rowley has been Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago since 2015

In the election campaign on September 7, 2015, all major parties dealt with socio-political issues, the fight against corruption and violent crime and the expansion of the country's oil-based economy.

From the elections, the previously opposition People's National Movement (PNM) under Keith Rowley won an absolute majority with 378,447 votes (51.68 percent) and received 23 of the 41 seats in the House of Representatives. The United National Congress (UNC), which was part of the previously ruling People's Partnership (PP) , received 290,066 votes (39.61%) and 17 seats, and the Congress of the People (COP) received 43,991 votes (6.01%) and from then on had one MP . Rowley was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on September 9, 2015. On September 11, 2015, he presented his cabinet, which includes Edmund Dillon as Minister for National Security, Dennis Moses as Foreign Minister and Colm Imbert as Minister of Finance.

In the elections on the autonomous island of Tobago on January 23, 2017, the People's National Movement (PNM) won 53.8 percent of the vote and now holds ten of the twelve seats in the House of Assembly , while the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) with 30.1 percent represents two MPs. Tobago Forwards missed entry into parliament despite 15.8 percent of the vote due to the majority vote. On January 26, 2017, Kelvin Charles was sworn in as Chief Secretary of the House of Assembly . On January 19, 2018, the former judge at the Court of Appeal Paula Mae Weekes was elected by the electoral college as the only candidate for President of Trinidad and Tobago. On March 19, 2018, she took over from Anthony Carmona, making her the first woman to hold the office of President. In a cabinet reshuffle on August 5, 2018, Stuart Young was appointed as the new Minister for National Security.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

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  9. The International System of Powers (1789–1914). Revolutionary wars and French hegemony (1791–1815) . In: Der Große Ploetz , 2008, p. 752
  10. Spain (1789-1914) . In: Der Große Ploetz , 2008, p. 1084
  11. Anthony 1997, p. 618
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  13. Anthony 1997, p. 254
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  20. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - September 24, 1956
  21. Anthony 1997, p. 346
  22. Bridget Brereton: A History of Modern Trinidad 1783 - 1962 , 4th edition, Terra Verde Resource Center, Champs Fleurs 2009, ISBN 0-435-98116-1 , p. 237
  23. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - December 4, 1961
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  30. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - May 24, 1971
  31. Caribbean Community: Secretaries-General (rulers.org)
  32. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - September 13, 1976
  33. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - November 9, 1981
  34. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - December 15, 1986
  35. ^ Fischer Weltalmanach '91 , Frankfurt am Main 1990, ISBN 3-5961-9091-6 , column 586
  36. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - December 16, 1991
  37. Caribbean Community: Secretaries-General (rulers.org)
  38. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - November 6, 1995
  39. ^ Fischer Weltalmanach '98 , Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-5961-9098-3 , column 704
  40. Trinidad and Tobago: February 14, 1997
  41. Trinidad and Tobago: March 19, 1997
  42. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - December 11, 2000
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  44. Trinidad and Tobago: December 22, 2000
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  47. ^ Fischer Weltalmanach 2003 , Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 3-5967-2003-6 , column 784
  48. Trinidad and Tobago: December 10, 2001
  49. Trinidad and Tobago: January 6, 2002
  50. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - October 7, 2002
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  53. Trinidad and Tobago: March 17, 2003
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  57. Trinidad and Tobago: September 26, 2006
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  65. Trinidad and Tobago: May 24, 2010
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  67. Questions persist over alleged assassination plot ( The Economist, February 8, 2012)
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  74. Trinidad and Tobago: April 21, 2013
  75. Trinidad and Tobago: September 5, 2013
  76. Trinidad and Tobago: February 2, 2015
  77. Trinidad and Tobago General Election Results - 7 September 2015
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  79. Trinidad and Tobago: January 23, 2017
  80. Trinidad and Tobago: January 19, 2018
  81. Trinidad and Tobago: March 19, 2018
  82. Trinidad and Tobago: August 5, 2018