Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a parliamentary democracy whose constitution dates from 1 August 1976. The country's legal system is based on English common law. All Trinidadians and Tobagonians, women and men alike, are eligible to vote at age 18; men are considered fit for military service from age 15 through age 49. The country's chief of state is a president, elected to a five year term of office by an electoral college composed of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The head of government is a prime minister, usually the majority party leader in the House after elections are held, who is appointed from among the members of parliament. The executive branch at the national level also includes a cabinet of ministers, also chosen by their fellow members of Parliament.

Trinidad and Tobago's legislative branch at the national level of government consists of a bicameral parliament composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House has 36 members elected to 5-year terms by popular vote; the Senate has 31 members appointed by the president to serve a term of up to 5 years. The third branch of the national government, the judicial system, consists of a Supreme Court composed of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals. Judges are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the president. The islands are administered at the local level through a system of eight counties, three municipalities, and one ward (Tobago).

Despite problems with the economy in the 1980s and early 1990s, Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 was a relatively stable democracy. The country has received significant overseas development assistance from international agencies and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to develop its infrastructure, support its growing oil-based economy, and develop its human resources. In the year 2000 Trinidad and Tobago had three ongoing World Bank projects, including one in basic education that was initiated in 1995 and designed to strengthen all aspects of the islands' educational system. In addition, a bank-funded Youth and Social Development project was begun in the 2000-2001 school year to create and improve programs for impoverished youth and to devise and support better strategies and programs to enroll and keep students in school. Approximately 30 percent of secondary age students have not been attending school, primarily due to economic constraints and space limitations. The Bank project was aimed at encouraging more youth to participate in better quality educational programs designed to meet their academic needs and to provide them with work-related training for employment.