Persad-Bissessar’s victory could signal a shift in the foreign policy that the People’s National Movement pursued since 2015.

After a decade in opposition, former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (2010-2015) will once again assume leadership of Trinidad and Tobago.

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The victory of her party, the United National Congress (UNC), marked a political shift after ten years of governance by the People’s National Movement (PNM), an organization with a more regionalist outlook and a reluctance to align with the United States and the United Kingdom.

Although foreign policy featured in the political debate, the main issues discussed during the electoral process were the state of emergency that began in December and ended in mid-April, insecurity, and the rise in gang activity—a phenomenon that resulted in nearly 600 recorded homicides in 2024.

Preliminary results indicate that the UNC secured 26 out of the 41 parliamentary seats. Meanwhile, the PNM, now in opposition, won just 13 seats, and the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) captured two, consolidating its influence on the smaller island.

Voter turnout, however, hit a historic low: only 54% of the 1.15 million registered voters went to the polls. This level of participation was lower than the 58% recorded in 2020 and the 66.8% in 2015.

The Election in Geopolitical Perspective

Trinidad and Tobago is the second-largest gas producer in the Caribbean. However, the decline in global prices directly impacted the local economy, leading to a prolonged economic crisis in recent years. Compounding this situation was the arrival of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency and the decision to revoke Venezuela’s oil licenses.

The reactivation of the “Maximum Pressure” policy against Venezuela made it impossible to move forward with an energy project between Shell, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago, which would have allowed the extraction of around 4 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves. The outgoing government had supported the project as a hope to reverse the crisis, recover the economy, and revive the energy industry.

“The UNC is more interested in working with the United States,” said Kandis Sebro, a member of ALBA Movements and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Caribbean country’s stance on Venezuela was also a topic during the campaign. In fact, Persad-Bissessar criticized the “excessive dependence” on gas and pledged to diversify the economy, although she provided no details on how she would achieve this.

In this regard, the change in government could redefine Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign policy, especially toward Venezuela and the United States. From the opposition, Persad-Bissessar had criticized former Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s closeness to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Currently, the United States is pressuring to limit cooperative ties between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

“We will seek balance: we are not anyone’s satellite,” the prime minister-elect stated.

Despite existing differences between political parties, Trinidad and Tobago has been known for making foreign policy decisions that align with the guidelines of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and for upholding principles such as “non-interference in internal affairs” and the right to self-determination of peoples.

Electoral Apathy Reflects Discontent with the System

Sebro believes that low voter turnout reflects dissatisfaction with Trinidad and Tobago’s current political system—a bipartisan structure rooted in the division between Indigenous and African communities promoted since colonial times.

For this election, only 28% of citizens under the age of 35 registered to vote, highlighting the skepticism toward a political class perceived as disconnected from reality.

“Many young people see no future here. We promise to change that,” Persad-Bissessar acknowledged in her victory speech.

Although the UNC celebrates its return to power, the election also signaled signs of political polarization. While Persad-Bissessar received 334,874 votes (54.2% of the total), former Prime Minister Keith Rowley secured 220,160 votes—a significant drop from the 378,729 votes he obtained in 2015. “It is clear that we lost. Now it’s our role to work for the country from the opposition,” Rowley stated.

The surprise came from the Tobago People’s Party (TPP), which won both of its seats with 13,857 votes, surpassing the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) and the Innovative Democratic Alliance (IDA).

TPP leader Farley Augustine, who is also President of the Tobago House of Assembly, pledged to “defend the island’s interests against Trinidad,” referencing historical disputes over autonomy and resource distribution.

On May 1, Persad-Bissessar will officially take office and will face challenges such as reviving the economy, reducing violence, and negotiating with the PNM, which still controls 13 districts. However, none of these issues can be addressed without first defining the country’s position regarding relations with Caracas and Washington.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: teleSUR – Trinidad & Tobago Guardian

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