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France 24
28-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Violence-weary Trinidadians vote in general election
Former energy minister Young, 50, took over as prime minister of the Caribbean nation in March when party colleague Keith Rowley stepped down after 10 years in the job to make way for new blood. Young's center-left People's National Movement (PNM) has been lagging in polls behind the centrist United National Congress (UNC) of former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 73. Persad-Bissessar has campaigned on promises of higher public wages to offset an economic downturn. Young has accused her of peddling false hopes, saying there was "no way that a government, any government, could afford" the additional $2-billion bill he said her program would entail. "Everything was pretty smooth," Karen John told AFP after she voted in Valsayn, in northern Trinidad, the larger of the two islands that make up the archipelago off the coast of Venezuela. Voters are electing the 41 members of the House of Representatives, parliament's lower house. The party that emerges with a majority of seats will form a new government, with its leader as prime minister. If no party wins a majority, a coalition government is likely in the English-speaking nation of 1.4 million people, famous for its carnival and sandy beaches. The election is taking place against the backdrop of a severe security crisis. A total of 623 murders were recorded last year, up from 577 in 2023, many of them linked to Latin America-based criminal gangs, including Venezuela's infamous Tren de Aragua, which the United States has designated a "terrorist" group. According to a US Department of State report from March, the murder rate of 37 per 100,000 people made Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world last year. The report noted that the country's southern border, which is around 10 miles from the Venezuelan coast, was "vulnerable to illegal migration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking and smuggling." To try and restore order, the government imposed a state of emergency between December and mid-April. The Caribbean's second-largest producer of natural gas, Trinidad and Tobago has also been battling an economic downturn blamed partly on a decline in production. It had been banking on exploitation of the Dragon gas field in nearby Venezuelan waters, but has seen its licence withdrawn by the administration of US President Donald Trump under renewed sanctions against that country.
France 24
25-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Trinidad and Tobago votes for parliament, PM, with opposition in lead
Voters will choose the 41 members of the lower House of Representatives for a five-year term. Any party that emerges with a majority of seats will form a new government with its leader as prime minister. If none does, a coalition government is likely in the nation known for attracting tourists with its carnival, nature and sandy beaches. Former energy minister Young, 50, took over as prime minister earlier this month after Keith Rowley resigned to make way for new blood. But his center-left People's National Movement (PNM) has been lagging in polls behind the centrist United National Congress (UNC) of former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 73. "We are peaking at the right time," Persad-Bissessar -- who has campaigned on promises of higher public wages -- she said ahead of Monday's vote. Unrealistic promises, according to Young, who said "there is no way that a government, any government, could afford" the additional $2-billion bill this would entail. Trinidad and Tobago has a population of 1.4 million people, of whom just over 1.1 million are eligible to vote Monday at 2,130 polling stations countrywide. Police commissioner Junior Benjamin has warned of intelligence suggesting "that things are afoot to disrupt the electoral process," without providing details. Since December, the country was under a state of emergency that ended this month. It was declared to contend with a rise in gang-related killings. Official data shows more than 600 homicides committed in the nation last year, many of them linked to criminal gangs. According to a US Department of State report from March, the murder rate of 37 per 100,000 people made Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world. The report said Latin American-based transnational criminal organizations operated in, and trafficked illegal goods through, Trinidad. "The country's southern border, which is approximately 10 miles from the Venezuelan coast, remained porous and vulnerable to illegal migration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking and smuggling," it said. "Venezuelan organized criminal organization and designated terrorist organization Tren de Aragua has been known to exploit this proximity for the transit of personnel and material." The Caribbean's second-largest producer of natural gas, Trinidad and Tobago has also been battling an economic downturn blamed partly on a decline in production. It had been banking on exploitation of the Dragon gas field in nearby Venezuelan waters, but has seen its licence withdrawn by the administration of US President Donald Trump under renewed sanctions against that country.
Miami Herald
27-03-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
A Nation of Diversity, Growth and Opportunity
The southernmost West Indies islands are most famous for the energy sector and carnival, but are looking toward a diversified and prosperous future For discerning travelers seeking Trinidad and Tobago, as the biggest economy in the Caribbean, is a key pillar for U.S. interests in the region and economic, political, military and cultural ties run deep. The two countries share a range of values. Trinidad and Tobago enters an election year in 2025 with the knowledge that Prime Minister Keith Rowley, in power since 2015, will not be offering himself to voters on either island, having revealed he would be stepping down on March 16. His party's chosen replacement, Stuart Young, a former attorney and currently the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, will be leading the People's National Movement into the elections which must be held by August at the latest. Major oil and gas deals signed Oil and gas, which have been the backbone of the country's economy for over a century, continue to be the major economic driver, only now the country is looking internationally. It is the world's 17th largest producer of natural gas and output increased 13% in 2023, but supplies are dwindling. For that, Trinidad has turned to its near neighbor Venezuela. Following intense negotiations with the U.S., in October 2023 the Treasury granted Trinidad an amendment to a license allowing the joint development of the Dragon offshore gas field, allowing Trinidad to pay Venezuela in hard currency or in kind. An agreement was signed between Venezuelan state-owned national oil company PDVSA, Stuart Young on behalf of Trinidad's National Gas Company (NGC) and the field is likely to be operated by Shell with NGC as a minority partner. The Dragon field, located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad, holds up to 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas. Trinidad needs the fuel to boost its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and petrochemical industries and Venezuela hopes to have access to cash. The field could provide up to half of Trinidad's natural gas demand of 700 million cubic feet and could even restart the country's long shuttered steel industry, resulting in thousands of jobs being recovered. Shell also made a final investment decision in July 2024 to develop its share of the Manatee gasfield, part of the Loran-Manatee offshore gas field which crosses the countries' border. Production is expected to start in 2027. Not finished there, however, another deal was signed in July between Venezuela, BP and NGC for the exploration and production of the Manakin-Cocuina field, which also crosses the maritime boundary between the two countries. The 20-year deal sees the 1 trillion cubic feet gas field to be developed by BP's Trinidad entity, bpTT, on the Trinidad side and by BP and NGC on Venezuela's side. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control had granted an exemption to sanctions in order for the field to be developed in May. The U.S. continues to be by far Trinidad and Tobago's most important trading partner. In 2022, Trinidad and Tobago exported $5.4 billion of goods to the U.S. and imported $3.5 billion of goods from the U.S. Exports mostly included LNG and downstream energy products, while imports include food products, refined petroleum and machinery. In November 2024, following the U.S. presidential election, Foreign Minister Amery Browne said that Trinidad expects excellent relations with President Trump following his return to the White House. A further deepening of relations in December 2024 was the signing of agreements between the United States and Trinidad for greater cooperation in military matters, possibly allowing for U.S. troops to be stationed in Trinidad, although this is staunchly denied by the prime minister. The five agreements signed include a Status of Forces agreement that facilitates interoperability between the two countries' armed forces. The two nations also extended the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, in a ceremony signed by the Commander of U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey and Trinidad's Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, in the presence of Rowley and U.S. ambassador to Trinidad, Candace Bond. Aside from political, economic and military relations, the U.S. continues to be vitally important to Trinidad because of the vast diaspora residing there — South Florida and New York primarily. Trinidad-headquartered Caribbean Airlines operates a daily flight to Miami, a double daily schedule is operated by American Airlines and the diaspora plays a major part in the annual Miami Carnival and dozens of other cultural events. Bilateral relations run deep and are set to stay that way for the foreseeable future between two friendly nations.
