New Premier Named Weeks After Election
Trinidad and Tobago’s president named opposition leader Patrick Manning as premier, ending two weeks of uncertainty after a tie vote.
President Arthur Robinson’s decision came after the two major parties failed to reach an agreement on a coalition government.
The vote sharpened tensions between those of African and East Indian descent, who almost evenly split the population of 1.3 million.
Manning, premier from 1991 to 1995, draws support mainly from Africans; incumbent Basdeo Panday is backed by East Indians. Each man’s party won 18 seats in the 36-seat Parliament in the Dec. 10 vote.
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