Michelle Benjamin
Michelle Benjamin | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Moruga/Tableland | |
| Assumed office 10 August 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Lovell Francis |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | United National Congress |
| Alma mater | |
Michelle Benjamin is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the United National Congress. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Moruga/Tableland since the 2020 general election.
Early life
[edit]Benjamin was born in St Mary’s Village, Moruga. She attended St Mary’s Government Primary School, Cowen Hamilton Secondary School and Southern Community College.[1][2] She then received a diploma in computer studies from the School of Accounting and Management and a bachelor's of science in environmental and natural resource management and biology from the University of the West Indies.[1] She previously worked for the Ministry of Community Development.[2]
Political career
[edit]In 2010, Benjamin joined the United National Congress (UNC) and became a community activist with the party after being inspired by UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. She was elected as a councillor for the local government district of Hindustan/St. Mary’s in 2016, a position that she was re-elected to in 2019.[2][3] Since 2017, she has served as the chair of the Moruga/Tableland UNC Executive.[1][2] She is the current public relations officer for the St Mary’s Village Council.[2]
Benjamin was elected to the House of Representatives on 10 August 2020, following the 2020 general election where she ran as the UNC candidate for the constituency of Moruga/Tableland.[4]
She was re-elected in the 2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election. She was appointed Minister of Culture and Community Development by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | Michelle Benjamin | 11,083 | 57.0% |  4.5
| |
| PNM | Lisa Atwater | 7,983 | 41.1% |  6.0
| |
| PF | Trivet Phillip | 281 | 1.4% | 
| |
| Majority | 3,100 | 15.9% | |||
| Turnout | 19,448 | 65.38% | |||
| Registered electors | 29,744 | ||||
| UNC hold | Swing | % | |||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Michelle Benjamin | UNC: Moruga / Tableland". Trinidad Express. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Ramdass, Anna (14 July 2020). "Gypsy cannot fool the people". Trinidad Express. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Taitt, Ria (25 January 2021). "THA Tug of War". Trinidad Express. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Ms. Michelle Benjamin, MP". Trinidad and Tobago Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "New Cabinet sworn In: Full list of appointments". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 2025-05-03. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
- ^ ELECTIONS AND BOUNDARIES COMMISSION. PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2025. DETAILED PRELIMINARY RESULTS Archived 2 May 2025 at the Wayback Machine