Kamla Persad-Bissessar has become the first woman in Trinidad and Tobago to become the top leader of any political party in the country. She emerged victorious in the battle for the top post of opposition United National Congress.
The national elections for the leadership of the Opposition United National Congress saw Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, one of the party’s deputy leaders, win a landslide victory in Sunday’s vote.
It was a keenly contested election which saw incumbent leader, Basdeo Panday who held the leadership of the party since its formation in 1989, lose.
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Ms. Kamla’s group won the 18 posts they contested.
The party’s top post is that of ‘political leader’
It is the first time in the political history of Trinidad and Tobago that a woman has been elected to the leadership of any political party.
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Ms. Kamla, 57, served as acting prime minister, attorney general, minister of education in the Panday-led government during 1995 and 2001.
Ms. Kamla’s forefathers were among over 145,000 East Indians who came here between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar plantations. The Indian diaspora is 44 percent out of a population of 1.3 million people.
Mr. Panday preferred to remain at his home. He held both positions of political leader and chairman of the party, and following Sunday’s vote he lost both positions.
Another stalwart, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, a former attorney general, conceded defeat just hours after the polls closed at 5 p.m. He too contested for the post of political leader.
In her victory speech, Ms. Kamla called for the healing of the party.
She said: “Let us be united and work towards defeating the incumbent government.”
She called on all the political forces to unite and so that their party can form the next government. Elections are due in 2012.