| Country: | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election |
| Previous Year: | 2015 |
| Next Election: | Next Trinidad and Tobago general election |
| Next Year: | Next |
| Seats For Election: | All 41 seats in the House of Representatives |
| Majority Seats: | 21 |
| Turnout: | 58.08% (8.76pp) |
| Election Date: | 10 August 2020 |
| Image1: | KeithRowley.jpg |
| Leader1: | Keith Rowley |
| Party1: | People's National Movement |
| Last Election1: | 51.68%, 23 seats |
| Seats1: | 22 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 322,180 |
| Percentage1: | 49.05% |
| Swing1: | 2.63pp |
| Leader2: | Kamla Persad-Bissessar |
| Party2: | United National Congress |
| Last Election2: | 39.61%, 17 seats |
| Seats2: | 19 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 309,654 |
| Percentage2: | 47.14% |
| Swing2: | 7.53pp |
| Prime Minister | |
| Posttitle: | Subsequent Prime Minister |
| Before Election: | Keith Rowley |
| Before Party: | People's National Movement |
| After Election: | Keith Rowley |
| After Party: | People's National Movement |
General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday, 10 August 2020,[1] to elect 41 members to the 12th Trinidad and Tobago Republican Parliament. It was the 14th election since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 and the 22nd national election in Trinidad and Tobago ever. Tracy Davidson-Celestine, political leader of the Tobago Council of the People's National Movement (PNM) became the first woman to lead a Tobagonian political party with representation in the House of Representatives. Additionally, two of the three largest parties elected in 2015, the United National Congress (UNC) and the Congress of the People (COP), were led by women.[2]
President Paula-Mae Weekes, with the advice of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, dissolved Parliament and issued the writs for the election on 3 July 2020.[3]
The first-term incumbent People's National Movement (PNM), led by incumbent Prime Minister Keith Rowley, won 22 seats to form a second five-year term majority government by defeating the opposition United National Congress, led by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.[4] [5] [6] Her latest in a series of losses at the polls which commenced with the January 2013 Tobago House of Assembly election with the wipeout of her People's Partnership-led administration from the Tobago House of Assembly due to a landslide victory by the Tobago Council of the PNM, losses at the 2013 Trinidadian local elections, St. Joseph and Chaguanas West bye-elections, loss in the 2015 Trinidad and Tobago general election, and subsequent losses in local government bye-elections[7] [8] has placed pressure on her to offer her resignation before the 2020 United National Congress leadership election.[9] The UNC finished with 19 seats. The results in six constituencies were subject to recounts, causing the final election results to be delayed by a week. This is the first parliamentary election in Trinidad and Tobago where the result was not finalized the day after the election.[10]
Voters elected the 41 members to the House of Representatives by first-past-the-post voting. Rowley and the new cabinet were sworn in on 19 August 2020.
The 41 members of the House of Representatives are elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. Registered voters must be 18 years and over, must reside in an electoral district/constituency for at least two months prior to the qualifying date, be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago or a Commonwealth citizen residing legally in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of at least one year.[11]
If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the Government, with its leader as Prime Minister. If the election results in no single party having a majority, then there is a hung parliament. In this case, the options for forming the Government are either a minority government or a coalition government.[12]
Political parties registered with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) can contest the general election as a party.[13]
The leader of the party commanding a majority of support in the House of Representatives is the person who is called on by the president to form a government as prime minister, while the leader of the largest party or coalition not in government becomes the Leader of the Opposition.[12]
Prior to the election, the People's National Movement, led by Prime Minister Keith Rowley formed a majority government. The largest opposition party was the United National Congress, led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The Congress of the People was the sole other party in Parliament, represented by a single MP.
The People's National Movement and the United National Congress have been the two biggest parties, in addition to having supplied every prime minister since 1991.[14]
On 14 July 2020, the leader of the Patriotic Front, Mickela Panday, announced that her party will no longer be contesting the 2020 elections due to lack of time to prepare for the August 2020 polls.[15]
The following registered parties are contesting the general election, the People's National Movement is the only party fielding all 41 seats (39 in Trinidad and two in Tobago), 14 parties are contesting seats in Trinidad only and four parties are contesting seats in Tobago only.
| Party | Founded | Political position and ideology | Leader(s) | Leader since | Leader's seat | Last election | At dissolution | Contested seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % party vote | Seats | |||||||||
| Major party not part of any coalition | ||||||||||
| 1989 | Centre-left Social democracy, Civic nationalism | Kamla Persad-Bissessar | January 2010 | Siparia | 39 seats in Trinidad[16] | |||||
| Better United Coalition | ||||||||||
| 2006 | Centre-left Reformism | November 2017 | None | 4 seats in Trinidad | ||||||
| 2002 | Steve Alvarez[17] | April 2002 | None | – | – | 1 seat in Trinidad | ||||
| Not part of any coalition | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Phillip Alexander[18] | January 2017 | None | New party | 6 seats in Trinidad | |||||
| 2009 | Left-wing Socialism, Labourism, Direct democracy | David Abdulah | January 2012[19] | None | – | – | 2 seats in Trinidad | |||
| 2013 | Rekha Ramjit[20] | October 2015 | None | 1 seat in Trinidad | ||||||
| 2018 | Right-wing Christian right, Social conservatism | Kenneth Munroe-Brown[21] | December 2018 | None | New party | 1 seat in Trinidad | ||||
| 2019 | Centre to centre-left Progressivism, Decentralization, Localism | Nikoli Edwards[22] | June 2019 | None | New party | |||||