Tobago House of Assembly

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is the government body for the island of Tobago, which is part of the country Trinidad and Tobago. It was created to help make sure Tobago has a say in how things are run, since before 1980 the two islands didn’t always work together fairly. The THA has some powers that are usually held by the main government of the whole country, but it can’t collect many taxes or make certain kinds of laws.

The THA is led by a group of elected members and a few people chosen by leaders in the assembly. The head of the THA is called the Chief Secretary, who leads the group that helps run the island’s day-to-day affairs. The current Chief Secretary is Farley Chavez Augustine, who took office on December 6, 2021. He is known for being the second youngest person to hold this position. He was first elected with the PDP but later left that group to work on his own before starting a new party called the Tobago People's Party.

History

The first THA elections took place on November 24, 1980. Over the years, different groups have won these elections. In 1980, the Democratic Action Congress led by A.N.R. Robinson won, followed by other groups like the People's National Movement, the National Alliance for Reconstruction, and the Tobago Organization of the People.

By 2026, the Tobago People's Party won all seats in the Assembly during the 2026 Tobago House of Assembly election. Today, the THA plays an important role in the lives of people living in Tobago.

Current Assembly Members

Party Divisions by Assembly

Election Year		Chairman		Summary	PNM	DAC	Independent	Total seats
1st	1980	A. N. R. Robinson (1926-2014)		DAC wins control of the House of Assembly under A. N. R. Robinson, forming the first Tobagonian government.	4	8		12
Election Year		Chairman		Summary	PNM	DAC	Independent	Total seats
2nd	1984	A. N. R. Robinson (1926-2014)		DAC forms another government under A. N. R. Robinson. The DAC merges with other political parties to form the NAR.	1	11		12
Election Year		Chairman		Summary	PNM	NAR	Independent	Total seats
3rd	1988	Jefferson Davidson (c. 1938-2023)		NAR forms another government under Jefferson Davidson.	1	11		12
Election Year		Chairman		Summary	PNM	NAR	Independent	Total seats
4th	1992	Lennox Denoon (1930–2007)		NAR forms another government under Lennox Denoon.	1	11		12
Election Year		Chairman		Summary	PNM	NAR	Independent	Total seats
5th	1996	Hochoy Charles (1946–2023)		NAR forms another government under Hochoy Charles.	1	10	1	12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	NAR	Independent	Total seats
6th	2001	Orville London (1945– )		PNM forms its first government under Orville London.	8	4		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	DAC	Independent	Total seats
7th	2005	Orville London (1945– )		PNM forms another government under Orville London.	11	1		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	TOP	Independent	Total seats
8th	2009	Orville London (1945– )		PNM forms another government under Orville London.	8	4		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	TOP	Independent	Total seats
9th	2013	Orville London (1945– )		PNM forms another government under Orville London.	12	0		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	PDP	Independent	Total seats
10th	2017	Kelvin Charles (1957– ) Ancil Dennis (1987– )		PNM forms another government under Kelvin Charles.	10	2		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	PDP	Independent	Total seats
11th	2021 (January)	Ancil Dennis (1987– )		First deadlock in the history of the assembly. PNM forms a caretaker government under Ancil Dennis.	6	6		12
Election Year		Chief Secretary		Summary	PNM	PDP	Independent	Total seats
12th	2021 (December)	Farley Chavez Augustine (1985– )		PDP forms its first government under Farley Chavez Augustine.	1	14		15