Caption: UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar celebrates election victory at the party’s headquarters in Chaguanas
By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE United National Congress (UNC) has won the 2025 general election by a landslide, with 27 constituencies declared in a preliminary count on Monday.
The People’s National Movement (PNM) received 12 while the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) won the two Tobago seats.
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The UNC-led Coalition of Interests, headed by Kamla Persad-Bissessar, declared an early victory, first at her constituency office in Penal and then later at the UNC headquarters in Chaguanas.
While she was leaving from Penal to go to Chaguanas, bombarded by supporters, music trucks and traffic, the leadership of the People’s National Movement (PNM) was giving their concession speech.
Speaking at Chaguanas, Persad-Bissessar declared, “When God says yes, nobody can say no!”
She thanked everyone who ensured a UNC victory at the polls, a campaign journey which was filled with joy, determination and resilience.
Persad-Bissessar told the throngs of supporters: “You are the real heroes in this story.”
She said, “Thank you for showing up. Thank you for staying the course and believing in our great party. Thank you T&T. Thank you for the support during this campaign. Thank you for the confidence for a better T&T and for letting the world know that real people have the real power in Trinidad and Tobago.”
She declared the victory was for senior citizens to keep their pensions and for public servants to get their retroactive salaries.
“This victory is to reopen the children’s hospital. This victory is to re-open Petrotrin. This victory is to once again give laptops to our children!” she declared.
Quoting the UNC’s campaign slogan, she said, “Now that the UNC has won, everybody wins.”
At Balisier House, PNM’s political leader Dr Keith Rowley said, “The results are coming in now and from what we have coming in to Balisier House, it is clear at this time, that we have lost the election.”
He said as a 70-year-old political party, sometimes it wins, sometimes it does not but this was one where “surprisingly we have not done very well in this general election.”
The general election comes just after one month since Stuart Young was appointed Prime Minister by Dr Rowley who resigned.
Young admitted he was disappointed with the results.
Both Dr Rowley and Young said the PNM ran a good campaign and a good fight.
Young said, “From tomorrow morning, you will see a strong PNM. We will be back on the road. We will be back servicing the people of Trinidad and Tobago and I certainly look forward to playing a part in that.”
The night ended with streets filled with music trucks, flag bearers, horn tooters, whistle blowers all clad in yellow.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar will return to Parliament as the next Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago for the second time, almost 15 years since the UNC People’s Partnership went into government in 2010 with 29 seats and the PNM-12.
