The 

People's National Movement (PNM) is the longest-serving and oldest active political

party in Trinidad and Tobago. The party has dominated national and local politics for much of
Trinidad and Tobago's history, contesting all elections since 1956 serving as the nation's
governing party or on four occasions, the main opposition. As a result, it has sometimes been
referred to as Trinidad and Tobago's "main political party".[14][15][16] There have been four
PNM Prime Ministers and multiple ministries. The party espouses the principles of liberalism[17][18]
[19]
 and generally sits at the centre[20] to centre-left[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] of the political spectrum.
The party was founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, who took inspiration from Norman
Manley's democratic socialist centre-left People's National Party in Jamaica.[28][29] It won the 1956
General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of
Williams in 1981, George Chambers led the party. The party was defeated in the 1986 General
Elections, losing 33–3 to the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). Under the leadership
of Patrick Manning, the party returned to power in 1991 following the 1990 attempted coup by
the Jamaat al-Muslimeen, but lost power in 1995 to the United National Congress (UNC). The
PNM lost again to the UNC in the 2000 General Elections, but a split in the UNC forced new
elections in 2001. These elections resulted in an 18–18 tie between the PNM and the UNC, and
President Arthur N. R. Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister. Manning was unable to
elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives, but won an outright majority in new elections
held in 2002 and again in 2007, before losing power in 2010. It returned to power in the 2015
general election under Keith Rowley where it had its best result since the 1981 general election,
winning 51.7 percent of the popular vote and 23 of the 41 seats. In the 2020 general election,
they won the popular vote and a majority in the House of Representatives, winning 22 seats.
The party symbol is the balisier flower (Heliconia bihai) and the Party's political headquarters is
known as the "Balisier House" located in Port of Spain. Historically, the PNM has been
supported by a majority of Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians and the Creole-
Mulatto population,[30][31] thus it is colloquially called the Black Party, the African Party, or
the Creole Party.[32][33][34][35] The PNM has its strongest support in cities and urban areas.[36] It was
also historically supported by different minorities such as the Chinese, Christian Indians (other
than Presbyterian Indians), and Muslims of any ethnicity of the country.[37][38][30][31]
The PNM's signature policies and legislative decisions include independence, writing
the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, republicanism, the establishment of the Tobago House
of Assembly, the Public Transport Service Corporation, the Water Taxi Service, universal
preschool, primary and secondary education, universal health care, criminalizing child
marriage and decriminalizing cannabis.[39][40][41][42] In government since the 2015 general election, the
party holds an overall majority of 22 out of 41 Members of Parliament in the House of
Representatives and 16 out of 31 members of the Senate. The party has 72 out of the 139 local
councillors and is in control of seven of the 14 regional corporations since the 2019 Trinidadian
local elections. The party also has one out of 12 assembly members in the Tobago House of
Assembly since the December 2021 Tobago House of Assembly elections.
Despite not being a socialist party, the PNM was a member of the democratic socialist West
Indies Federal Labour Party in the Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation from 1957
to 1962. The party includes a semi-autonomous Tobagonian branch known as the Tobago
Council of the People's National Movement. As of September 2018, the PNM has 100,000+
registered members.[1][2]
 Contents

 1Rise to power
 2Independence era
 3Decline and fall
 4Manning and the PNM re-invented
 5Leaders of the People's National Movement
 6Deputy leaders of the People's National Movement
o 6.1Tobago Council leaders
 7PNM Leadership Executive Committee
 8Youth Arm
 9Women's Arm
 10Tobago Council of the People's National Movement
 11Electoral history
o 11.1House of Representatives
o 11.2West Indies
o 11.3Corporations
o 11.4Tobago House of Assembly
 12See also
 13References
 14External links

Rise to power[edit]

Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1962–1981) and first leader of the People's National
Movement

When Eric Williams returned to Trinidad in 1948 he set about developing a political base.
Between 1948 and 1955 he delivered a series of political lectures, under the auspices of the
Political Education Movement (PEM) a branch of the Teachers Education and Cultural
Association. Naparima College is one of the locations at which such lectures were delivered.
[43]
 On 15 January 1956 Williams launched the PNM. In the 1956 General Elections the PNM
captured 13 of the 24 elected seats in the Legislative Council with 38.7% of the votes cast. In
order to secure an outright majority in the Legislative Council Williams managed to convince the
Secretary of State for the Colonies to allow him to name the five appointed members of the
council (despite the opposition of the Governor Sir Edward Betham Beetham).[44] This gave him a
clear majority in the Legislative Council. Williams was thus elected Chief Minister and was also
able to get all seven of his ministers elected.
In the 1958 Federal Elections (which the PNM contested as part of the West Indies Federal
Labour Party), it won four of the 10 Trinidad and Tobago seats with 47.4% of the vote.
The Opposition, Democratic Labour Party won the other six seats.[45]

Independence era[edit]
In the 1961 General Elections the PNM won 20 of 30 seats with 58% of the vote. With the
collapse of the West Indian Federation the PNM led Trinidad and Tobago to independence on 31
August 1962.
In the 1966 General Elections the PNM won 24 of 36 seats with 52% of the vote. However
economic and social discontent grew under PNM rule. This came to a climax in April 1970 with
the Black Power Revolution. On 13 April, PNM Deputy Leader and Minister of External
Affairs A.N.R. Robinson resigned from the party and government. On the 20th facing a revolt by
a portion of the Army in collusion with the growing Black Power movement, Williams declared
a State of Emergency.[46] By 22 April the mutineers had begun negotiations for surrender.
Following this certain ministers were forced to resign including John O'Halloran, Minister of
Industry and Gerard Montano, Minister of Home Affairs.
In the 1971 General Elections the PNM faced only limited opposition as the major opposition
parties boycotted the election citing the use of voting machines.[47] The PNM captured all 36 seats
in the election, including eight that they carried unopposed. Additionally Williams split the post
of Deputy Leader into three and appointed Kamaluddin Mohammed, Errol Mahabir and George
Chambers to the position.
In 1972 J. R. F. Richardson crossed the floor and declared himself an Independent.[48] He was
subsequently appointed Leader of the Opposition. He was soon joined by another MP, Dr.
Horace Charles.
In 1973 the PNM faced a major crisis. On 28 September Williams announced that he would not
stand for re-election. This led to a race to succeed him as Political Leader of the party. By 18
November 250 of 476 registered party groups had submitted nominations, 224 of them
for Attorney General Karl Hudson-Phillips and 26 for Minister of Health, Kamaluddin
Mohammed. Williams announced on 2 December that he would return as Political Leader and
Hudson-Phillips was forced out of the party.[49]

Decline and fall[edit]

In 1976 the PNM won 24 of 36 seats with 54% of the vote. In March 1978 Hector McClean,
Minister of Works, resigned from the party and government and declared himself an independent
MP.
On 29 March 1981 Eric Williams died. Williams had maintained an iron grip over the party and
forced all potential rivals out of the party. In the absence of a clear successor, President Ellis
Clarke was left to choose the new Prime Minister from among the three Deputy Political Leaders
of the party. Clarke appointed George Chambers Prime Minister in preference to Kamaluddin
Mohammed and Errol Mahabir.[50] Chambers was subsequently elected as Political Leader of the
PNM and led the party to victory in the 1981 General Elections. The PNM won 26 of 36 seats
and 52% of the vote.
It subsequently held on to power until 1986 when it was defeated by the National Alliance for
Reconstruction (NAR) under the leadership of A.N.R. Robinson. The PNM won three of 36 seats
with 32% of the vote. Chambers resigned and was succeeded by Patrick Manning as Political
Leader.[51]

Manning and the PNM re-invented[edit]

Patrick Manning, the fourth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1991–1995; 2001–2010) and third leader of the
People's National Movement

Keith Rowley, the seventh Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (2015–present) and fourth leader of the People's
National Movement

When Manning became leader he promised a "new PNM" and purposely ignored the discredited
old guard. He appointed Wendell Mottley, Keith Rowley and Augustus Ramrekersingh as his
deputy leaders.[52]
The PNM was returned to power in the 1991 elections after the NAR self-destructed. In the 1991
election it won 21 of 36 seats with 45% of the vote. However, in the latter half of that term the
party became unstable. It lost one seat in a by-election and another when Ralph Maraj defected
to the United National Congress. The issue that led Maraj to defect was the declaration of a
limited State of Emergency which sole purpose was to remove Occah Seepaul (Maraj's sister) as
Speaker of the House of Representatives.[53] The party also suffered a loss of support with the
death Minister of Public Utilities, Morris Marshall, a favourite of the party grassroots.
Attempting to halt the decline in party support Manning called an early "snap election" in 1995 .
Many party front-benchers did not seek reelection including Finance Minister Wendell Mottley.
The party lost the 1995 General Elections winning 17 of 36 seats with 48% of the vote.
The United National Congress (UNC) under the leadership of Basdeo Panday also won 17 seats
and formed a coalition government with the National Alliance for Reconstruction which had won
the remaining two seats. The PNM was further weakened when two MPs resigned from the party
and threw their support behind the UNC government. This led to numerous calls for Manning to
resign the party leadership, and for calls for Mottley to replace him. Manning declined to resign
and Mottley appeared to have taken a sabbatical from politics. When leadership elections were
held in 1997 Manning was challenged by Keith Rowley. Manning was returned as Political
Leader.
In 2000 the PNM suffered another defeat, winning 16 of 36 seats with 46% of the vote. Another
election was held in 2001 which resulted in a tie with both the PNM and UNC winning 18 seats,
the PNM with 46% of the electoral vote and the UNC with 50%. However President Arthur N.R.
Robinson appointed Manning as Prime Minister on the basis of "moral and spiritual grounds".
(In Trinidad and Tobago's elections, the number of seats needed to occupy the lower house is
really the best indicator of whether or not a party would win elections). Unable to elect a
Speaker, Manning advised the President to prorogue Parliament. On 7 October 2002 General
Elections were held in which the PNM won 50.7% of popular votes and 20 out of 36 seats.[54]

Leaders of the People's National Movement[edit]

The political leaders of the People's National Movement have been as follows (any acting leaders
indicated in italics):[55][56]
Key:
  PNM   UNC   NAR
PM: Prime Minister
LO: Leader of the Opposition
†: Died in office

Leader Term of Office Position Prime Minister

 29 March PM 1955–
1 Eric Williams 22 June 1955 himself
1981† 1981

George 30 March 8 February PM 1981–

2 himself
Chambers 1981[57] 1987 1986

LO 1986– Robinson
1991

PM 1991– himself
1995
Patrick 8 February 27 May
3
Manning 1987 2010
LO 1995– Panday
2001

PM 2001– himself
2010

4 Keith Rowley 27 May 2010 TBA 2022 LO 2010– Persad-

2015 Bissessar

PM 2015– himself
present
Deputy leaders of the People's National Movement[edit]
The deputy political leaders of the People's National Movement have been as follows (any acting
leaders indicated in italics):
Deputy Term Concurr Deputy T Co Deputy Leader Te Concur Deputy Leader Ter Co
Leader ent Leader e nc rm rent m nc
Office(s) r ur Office( ur
m re s) re
nt nt
Of Of
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Pa 1 19  
tri 9 66 M
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So 6 
lo M
m
on[ 
58]
D
(19
10- 
19
97)
M

M
P
for 
Po
rt
of
Sp
ain
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h

A.
N.
R.
Ro
bi
ns
on[
59]

(19 1
26- 9 19
20
14)
6 70
7
M
P
for 
To
ba
go
Ea
st

Ge 1 30 Err 1 Kama 1
or 9 M ol 9 luddin 9
ge 7 ar Ma 7 Moha 7
Ch 1 ch hab 1 mmed  1
am 19 ir (1927-
be 81 2015)
(19 MP
rs 31-
201
for Ba
(19 rataria
28- 5)
19 MP
97)  for 
M San
P Fer
for  nan
St. do
An We
n's st
Ea
st
Ke
ith
Ro
wl We
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ll
(bo Mo Augus
rn ttle tus
19 Ramr
49) y (b
1 orn ekersi

M 9 19 194 ngh (b
1) 
M
P 8 95 orn )M
for  7 MP P
Di for  for St.
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M n's
art Eas
in t
W
est

Ke
nne
th
Val
ley
(19
Jo 48-
201 Nafee
an 1) 1 2
Yu sa  Orvill
9 0
ill MP Moha O e
9 1
e- for mmed  Lond 3
7 1
(born ) on (bo
Wi Die
lli rn J
1 In go 1945[61] 1 u
am 9 9 l
cu  Ma )
s 9 9 y
m M rtin (Tobag
(bo 6 be Ce o) A 8
[6 [6
rn )
0] nt ntr M 2] 2
(pa al for Sc 0
rty arbor 1
and Ro ough/ 6
ele ha Calde
cti n r Hall
ons
)
Sin
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(bo
rn
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