Trinidad and Tobago made history Wednesday when it swore in Kamla Persad-Bissessar as the Caribbean nation's first female prime minister.
Patrick Manning called early elections for energy rich Trinidad and Tobago to be held on Monday, May 24, 2010 after increased public outrage caused by an increase in crime and allegations of public corruption. Initial estimates reveal that about 60% of Trinidad and Tobago’s more than 1 million voters turned out on Monday and as the votes began to tally it was clear that there would be a change in government.
People, the National Joint Action Committee, the Tobago Organization of the People and the Movement for Social Justice. Her five-party coalition became the People’s Partnership. Politics there have long been divided along lines of Indian or African descent. Patrick Manning’s People’s National Movement draws most of its support from Afro-Trinidadians while the UNC of Persad-Bissessar largely relies on Indo-Trinidadian backing. Her coalition campaigned heavily on multi-ethnic rhetoric. In addition, Persad-Bissessar tapped into the people’s concern about rising gang violence and corruption scandals and managed to secure 29 of the 41 seats for her coalition. On Wednesday, she was sworn in as Trinidad and Tobago’s first female Prime Minister.
