Yearbook 2013
Trinidad and Tobago. According to Countryaah, the People’s National Movement (PNM) won the election to Tobago’s parliament in January and got all twelve elected seats. The political parties in Trinidad and Tobago are characterized by ethnic affiliation. A majority of the population of Tobago are black and it is in this group that PNM has its main support.
In March, Anthony Carmona took office as Trinidad and Tobago’s new president. The lawyer, Carmona, who had previously been a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, had been elected to the post in February and succeeded George Maxwell (“Max”) Richards who retired after serving two terms of office.
National Security Minister Jack Warner – better known as the former head of the FIFA International Football Federation – resigned in April on suspicion of embezzlement. He was succeeded by Gary Griffith.
In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. It was the first time a Chinese head of state visited the small Caribbean country. Xi promised a $ 250 million loan to build a new children’s hospital. The representatives of both countries also discussed cooperation in the energy sector. Trinidad and Tobago have large oil reserves and China is the world’s largest energy consumer.