General elections were held in Trinidad and Tobago on 28 April 2025 to elect all 41 members of the House of Representatives. President Christine Kangaloo, on the advice of Prime Minister Stuart Young, dissolved parliament and issued the writs for election on 18 March 2025.
This was the first election after the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) redrew the boundaries for 16 constituencies, and renamed five of them. Seventeen political parties and three independents contested the election.
The United National Congress won 26 seats, forming a majority government, with its leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar becoming prime minister for the second time since she was elected leader in 2010. The governing People's National Movement led by former prime minister Keith Rowley and Stuart Young as prime ministerial candidate won 13 seats, losing power and becoming the opposition. The Tobago People's Party led by Tobago House of Assembly Chief Minister Farley Augustine won both Tobago seats. According to party organiser Barry Padarath, it was the best result for the United National Congress since the party's foundation.
In the aftermath of the election, Young resigned as PNM party chairman on April 30, and Rowley announced his intention to resign as political leader of the PNM on May 1. Kamla Persad-Bissessar and John Jeremie were sworn in as Prime Minister and Attorney General respectively on May 1.
Electoral system 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.
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.
Parties Political parties registered with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) can contest the general election as a party.
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.
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.
The following registered parties contested the general election. One hundred and fifty-eight candidates representing seventeen parties and three independent candidates contested the election.
Trinidad and Tobago Two parties — the PNM and the Patriotic Front — contested seats in both Trinidad and Tobago. Party Founded Political position and ideologyLeader Leader since Leader's seat Last election Current seatsSeats contesting % party vote Seats1955Centre to centre-leftLiberalism, Social liberalism, NationalismKeith RowleyMay 2010412019Centre-left to leftMickela PandayMay 2019None–––37
Trinidad only Ten parties and two independents contested seats only in Trinidad. Party Founded Political position Leader(s) Leader since Leader's seat Last election Current seats Seats contesting % party vote SeatsCoalition of Interests 1989 Centre-leftKamla Persad-Bissessar January 2010 Siparia34 2006 Centre-leftReformism Prakash Ramadhar January 2025 None 22017Phillip AlexanderJanuary 2017None3People's Alliance2022Social liberalismGary GriffithApril 2022NoneNew party17No alliance1994Fuad Abu BakrApril 2010None12024Centre-leftKezel JacksonJuly 2024NoneNew party8 2010 Marcus Ramkissoon 2010None3 NoneNew party22019Diego Martin regionalismGarvin NicholasSeptember 2019None1 Francis Morean NoneNew party1
Tobago only Five parties and one independent contested seats only in Tobago. Party Founded Political position and ideology Leader(s) Leader since Leader's seat Last election Current seats Seats contesting % party vote Seats2023Tobago regionalismFarley Chavez AugustineAugust 2023NoneNew party 22016Tobago regionalismWatson Duke July 2016 None 2 NoneNew party 2 NoneNew party 1 NoneNew party 1
Endorsements TypeUNCPEPPFNTAHOPETPPPDPMediaJaron "Uncommon" Nurse Akeem "Preedy" ChanceDrupatee Ramgoonai Dwayne Bravo Adesh Samaroo Iwer GeorgePublic figuresDinesh Rambally (former UNC MP for Chaguanas West, pandit, and executive member of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha) Larry Lalla (former UNC member and Senior counsel attorney) Ancil Roget (Joint Trade Union Movement - JTUM president) Rudi Atwell (Aviation Communication and Allied Workers' Union - ACAWU Secretary General) John Jeremie (former PNM minister)Roshan Parvani (Panameñista Party)Unions and business associationsOilfields Workers' Trade Union Public Services Association Trinidad and Tobago Postal Workers' Union Fire Service Association
Members who did not seek re-election MemberPartyConstituencyNotesRai Ragbir UNCCumuto/ManzanillaDinesh Rambally UNCChaguanas WestAdrian Leonce PNMLaventille East/MorvantFitzgerald Hinds PNMLaventille WestAnita Haynes UNCTabaquiteRodney Charles UNCNaparimaRushton Paray UNCMayaroRudranath Indarsingh UNCCouva SouthKeith Rowley PNMDiego Martin West
Campaign Kamla Persad-Bissessar campaigned on increasing public sector salaries, protecting pensions and reopening the state oil company Petrotrin. The proposals were criticised by Stuart Young as unrealistic, saying that they would need $2 billion in funding.
Marginal seats The following lists identify and rank seats by the margin by which the party's candidate finished behind the winning candidate in the 2020 election.
For information purposes only, seats that have changed hands through subsequent by elections have been noted. Seats whose members have changed party allegiance are ignored.
Marginal seats by party (with winning parties and margins from the 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election)Marginal1St. Joseph (renamed Aranguez/St Joseph)4.5%1Moruga/Tableland5.3%2Tobago East9.7%2Chaguanas East6.4%3La Horquetta/Talparo10.9%3Barataria/San Juan6.7%4San Fernando West10.9%4Pointe-à-Pierre (renamed Claxton Bay)9.1%5Tunapuna11.2%5Cumuto/Manzanilla17.9%6Toco/Sangre Grande18.7%6Mayaro18.7%7Point Fortin22.4%7Fyzabad22.0%8La Brea23.3%8Caroni Central24.7%9Lopinot/Bon Air West (renamed Arouca/Lopinot)33.8%9Tabaquite36.9%10Tobago West34.1%10St. Augustine37.8%11D'Abadie/O'Meara (renamed Malabar/Mausica)34.2%11Couva South38.7%12San Fernando East35.6%12Princes Town40.6%13Arima40.0%13Couva North40.7%14St. Ann's East51.1%14Caroni East49.2%15Diego Martin North/East53.3%15Oropouche West50.5%16Diego Martin Central55.7%16Siparia55.5%17Diego Martin West 59.1%17Oropouche East60.2%18Port of Spain South60.7%18Naparima66.4%19Arouca/Maloney (renamed Trincity/Maloney)64.2%19Chaguanas West78.2%20Port of Spain North/St. Ann's West66.8%Safe21Laventille East/Morvant67.0%22Laventille West71.6%SafeSource: Parliamentary Elections, 2020 Final Results – Candidates Vote Count
Opinion polls The North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) based in New York (led by political analyst Vishnu Bisram), pollster Nigel Henry's Solution by Simulation and pollster Louis Bertrand's H.H.B (H.H.B) & Associates have commissioned opinion polling for the next general election sampling the electorates' opinions.
Seat projections DatePollsterSample sizeLegislative majority24 Apr 2025NACTA publishes a poll with their result being that there is no clear front-runner and that the results will come down to marginal seats. They also concluded that smaller parties, not part of the Coalition of Interests, are unlikely to win any seats. The results concluded that nationwide, the UNC had a slight advantage over the PNM in popular votes. In Tobago they concluded that the PNM is ahead in Tobago West, while Tobago East remains highly competitive.20 Apr 2025Guardian Media Limited publishes a poll by Prof. Hamid Ghany in which the UNC is in the lead with 45% of the votes, the PNM with 30%, the PF with 7%, and the NTA with 6% for the marginal seats in Trinidad. For the two seats in Tobago the PNM is leading with 47%, the TPP with 32%, and the PDP with 4%.18 Mar 2025The Office of the Prime Minister announces that general elections will be held on April 28th.17 Mar 2025Stuart Young is sworn in as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago by President Christine Kangaloo, along with his newly formed cabinet.16 Mar 2025Keith Rowley officially resigns from the position of prime minister, remains party leader of PNM.6 Jan 2025Prime Minister Keith Rowley announces that PNM MP's voted to select Stuart Young, PNM party chairman and MP for Port-of-Spain North/St. Ann's West, to succeed him as the country's prime minister.3 Jan 2025Prime Minister Keith Rowley announces his intention to resign as prime pinister and MP for Diego Martin West.16 December 2024Lisa Morris-Julian, the MP for D'Abadie/O'Meara and the 2025 PNM prospective candidate for Malabar/Mausica (the new name for the D'Abadie/O'Meara constituency from the 2025 general election), along with two of her children, die in a fire.9 Sep 2024NACTA/Newday4902516059 Sep 2024Five dissident UNC MPs reshuffled in the House of Representatives17 Jun 20242024 Local Government By-Elections: PNM wins Lengua/Indian Walk, breaking the 2023 Trinidadian local election tie with the UNC for the seat and number of councillors elected islandwide, UNC retains control of Quinam/Morne Diablo15 Jun 20242024 United National Congress internal election: Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar retains leadership of the UNC with 76.47% of the vote.14 August 2023PNM ties in number of councillors and corporations won with the UNC in the 2023 Trinidadian local elections12 August 2023The Tobago People's Party is formed comprising all ex-PDP Tobago House of Assembly members, besides PDP leader Watson Duke, leaving Duke as the sole PDP member of the THA26 Jun 2023UNC and NTA form an alliance to contest the 2023 Trinidadian local elections20 Jan 20232023 Trinidad and Tobago presidential election; Christine Kangaloo is elected president, succeeding Paula-Mae Weekes Nov-Dec 20222022 People's National Movement leadership election: Prime Minister Keith Rowley retains leadership of the PNM with 92.46% of the vote.24 Apr 20222022 Tobago Council of the PNM election; Ancil Dennis succeeds Tracy Davidson-Celestine as PNM Tobago leader6 Dec 2021January 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election: PDP wins a historic landslide victory, ending 21 consecutive years of PNM rule, Farley Chavez Augustine replaces Ancil Dennis as Chief Secretary of Tobago21 Oct 2021UNC motion to impeach President Paula-Mae Weekes fails25 Jan 2021PNM and PDP win an equal number of seats in the January 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election10 Aug 20202020 general election221903
Results The United National Congress won 26 seats, forming a majority government, with its leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar becoming prime minister for the second time since she was elected leader in 2010. The governing People's National Movement led by former prime minister Keith Rowley and Stuart Young as prime ministerial candidate won 13 seats, losing power, becoming the opposition. The Tobago People's Party led by Tobago House of Assembly Chief Minister Farley Augustine won both Tobago seats.
According to party organiser Barry Padarath, it was the best result for the United National Congress since the party's foundation.