Decision Maker

Government of Trinidad and Tobago

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago operates as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary state, with a president as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. It adopts a multi-party system with the three branches of government: the executive, made up of the president, prime minister, and the cabinet; the legislative branch, which is the bicameral Parliament, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives; and the judiciary, the highest of which is the Supreme Court. This governmental structure was adopted subsequent to the nation's independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. The constitution also recognizes local government bodies responsible for various local-level administrative duties.