page_title: People's National Movement
section_title: Rise to power
hierarchical_section_title: People's National Movement / Rise to power
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Collectie / Archief&#160;: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie&#160;: [ onbekend ] Beschrijving&#160;: Koningin Juliana ontvangt op paleis Soestdijk de premier van Trinidad, Eric Williams Datum&#160;: 3 oktober 1962 Locatie&#160;: Baarn, Utrecht (provincie) Trefwoorden&#160;: koninginnen, ministers-presidenten, paleizen, prinsessen Persoonsnaam&#160;: Williams, Eric Instellingsnaam&#160;: Paleis Soestdijk Fotograaf&#160;: Bilsen, Joop van / Anefo, [onbekend] Auteursrechthebbende&#160;: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort&#160;: Negatief (zwart/wit) Nummer archiefinventaris&#160;: bekijk toegang 2.24.01.04 Bestanddeelnummer&#160;: 914-3739
context_page_description: The People's National Movement is the longest-serving and oldest active political party in Trinidad and Tobago. In all general elections since 1956, the PNM has been either the governing party or on four occasions, the main opposition. There have been four PNM Prime Ministers and ministries. The party espouses the principles of liberalism and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum.
  The party was founded in 1955 by Eric Williams, who took inspiration from Norman Manley's centre-left People's National Party in Jamaica. It won the 1956 General Elections and went on to hold power for an unbroken 30 years. After the death of Williams in 1981, George Chambers led the party. The party was defeated in the 1986 General Elections, losing 33–3 to the National Alliance for Reconstruction. Under the leadership of Patrick Manning, the party returned to power in 1991 following the 1990 attempted coup by the Jamaat al-Muslimeen, but lost power in 1995 to the United National Congress. The PNM lost again to the UNC in the 2000 General Elections, but a split in the UNC forced new elections in 2001.
context_section_description: When Eric Williams returned to Trinidad in 1948 he set about developing a political base. Between 1948 and 1955 he delivered a series of political lectures, under the auspices of the Political Education Movement (PEM) a branch of the Teachers Education and Cultural Association. Naparima College is one of the locations at which such lectures were delivered. On 15 January 1956 Williams launched the PNM. In the 1956 General Elections the PNM captured 13 of the 24 elected seats in the Legislative Council with 38.7% of the votes cast. In order to secure an outright majority in the Legislative Council Williams managed to convince the Secretary of State for the Colonies to allow him to name the five appointed members of the council (despite the opposition of the Governor Sir Edward Betham Beetham). This gave him a clear majority in the Legislative Council. Williams was thus elected Chief Minister and was also able to get all seven of his ministers elected.
  In the 1958 Federal Elections (which the PNM contested as part of the West Indies Federal Labour Party), it won four of the 10 Trinidad and Tobago seats with 47.4% of the vote. The Opposition Democratic Labour Party won the other six seats.
caption: Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1962–1981) and first leader of the People's National Movement
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