Trinidad & Tobago Goes to the Polls Amid a Crisis of Violence
Citizens go to vote in Trinidad and Tobago, April 28, 2025. X/ @WIC_News
April 28, 2025 Hour: 8:15 am
Seventeen parties and 161 candidates are contesting these elections, having conducted an intense political campaign.
On Monday, Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island republic with 1.4 million inhabitants, heads to the polls to choose between Prime Minister Stuart Young of the People’s National Movement (PNM) and his main rival, former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (2010–2015).
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In this election, dubbed “the mother of all elections” and called in March, voters will decide on the government that will have to confront the surge in violence which led to the declaration of a state of emergency in December. The emergency measures remained in effect until April 15.
At the end of March, Young, 50, was sworn in as the eighth prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, replacing Keith Rowley, who resigned after nine and a half years in office, bringing an end to 45 years of active political life.
Seventeen parties and 161 candidates are contesting these elections, having conducted an intense political campaign that concluded on Saturday. The two main political parties are the current ruling party, the PNM, and the opposition United National Congress (UNC), led by Persad-Bissessar.
Over the weekend, both parties held large final campaign rallies in various towns across the island of Trinidad, urging citizens to turn out and vote.
Young, speaking from Eddie Hart Savannah Park in the town of Tacarigua, located along Trinidad and Tobago’s East-West Corridor, assured voters that if he wins the election, there would be “greater economic transformation,” financial stability, and “no devaluation of the Trinidad and Tobago dollar.”
Meanwhile, Persad-Bissessar addressed voters gathered at Aranguez Savannah Park in the city of San Juan, promising to tackle the rising crime rate and provide greater security.
The main opposition leader also took the opportunity to reassure her supporters amid public concern about her health, emphasizing that she is strong and healthy.
Rowley’s decision to step down before the end of his term and Young’s appointment as his successor drew criticism from the opposition. Currently, Trinidadian authorities are battling a surge in murders across the country, which in 2024 reached a new record with more than 620 homicides.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
