Government and power in Trinidad and Tobago

Who leads Trinidad and Tobago, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary parliamentary republic.

Who leads Trinidad and Tobago?

• Head of state: Christine Carla Kangaloo (President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)
• Head of government: Kamla Persad-Bissessar (Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)
• Foreign minister: Sean Sobers (Minister for Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Trinidad and Tobago

Government

• Government of Trinidad and Tobago (ttconnect)
  Government services, ministry information and public notices.
• Office of the Prime Minister
  Prime Minister's statements, Cabinet notes and policy announcements.

Parliament

• Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago (House of Representatives and Senate)
  Bills, Acts, Hansard, order papers and committee reports.

Elections

• Elections and Boundaries Commission
  Voter registration, election results and constituency boundary reports.

Courts

• The Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago
  Court of Appeal and High Court judgments, court lists and practice directions.

Public audit

• Auditor General's Department
  Auditor General reports on the public accounts and audits of state entities.

Ombudsman

• Office of the Ombudsman
  Complaint handling information and annual reports of the Ombudsman.

Asset declarations

• Integrity Commission
  Receives declarations of income, assets and liabilities and registers of interests from persons in public life.

Laws and the official gazette

• Digital Legislative Library (Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs)
  Consolidated laws, Acts and subsidiary legislation of Trinidad and Tobago.

Government below the national level

• Tobago House of Assembly: Assemblymen elected by district; the Chief Secretary leads the Executive Council
• Municipal corporations in Trinidad (14): city corporations (Port of Spain, San Fernando), borough corporations (Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin), regional corporations (9): Councillors elected by electoral district; aldermen chosen by the parties according to councillors elected; mayor (cities/boroughs) or chairperson (regions) chosen by the council

How local power works in Trinidad and Tobago

Places in Trinidad and Tobago

• All 15 municipalities
• Official statistics for Trinidad and Tobago

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.