At stake in this election:

• 36 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Arthur ROBINSON *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Basdeo PANDEY
• Assembly: Trinidad and Tobago has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 31 seats and the House of Representatives with 36 seats.

* The president is elected by indirect vote by an electoral college consisting of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives. The President serves a 5-year term.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by indirect vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate 31 members are appointed to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 36 members are elected by simple majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

* All members of the Senate are appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: United National Congress (UNC)
  • Leader: Basdeo PANDEY
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 19
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 17
• Party: People's National Movement (PNM)
  • Leader: Patrick MANNING
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 16
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 17
• Party: National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR)
  • Leader: Nizam MOHAMMED
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 1
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 2

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections last held: November 6, 1995

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 1,267,980 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 940,000 (est.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 637,370 (2000)

·         Is Trinidad and Tobago a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (27 June 1985)

·         Has Trinidad and Tobago ratified CEDAW: Yes (12 January 1990)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 4 (House of Representatives)

·         Human Development Index Position: 64 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Trinidad and Tobago a signatory to CRPD: Yes (27 September 2007)

·         Has Trinidad and Tobago ratified CRPD: Yes (25 June 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 190,197 (est.)