Butler Party

The British Empire Citizens' and Workers' Home Rule Party, also known as the Butler Home Rule Party and more commonly as the Butler Party,^[1] were a series of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago organised by Tubal Uriah Butler.

History

Butler founded the party in 1936 after he split from the Trinidad Labour Party. However, he spent most of the period between 1937 and 1945 in prison; he was arrested after the labour riots of 1937 and imprisoned until 1939. After being released, he was re-arrested in at the start of World War II in 1939 because he was seen as a security threat to one of the British Empire's main supplies of petroleum. After he was released from prison at the end of the war, Butler reformed the party to fight the 1946 general elections. It finished second in the vote, winning three seats.^[2] In the 1950 elections it emerged as the largest party after the United Front did not run. However, although it won six of the eighteen seats, but the government was formed by Albert Gomes of the Party of Political Progress Groups. In the 1956 elections the party was reduced to two seats. The 1961 elections saw its share of the vote drop to just 0.4% and it lost both seats.^[2] In 1966 it received just 704 votes, after which it never contested another election.^[3]

References

↑ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p628 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
1 2 Nohlen, pp639-642
↑ Nohlen, p637

Political parties in Trinidad and Tobago

Current parties	People's Partnership Congress of the People National Joint Action Committee Tobago Organisation of the People United National Congress Independent Liberal Party Movement for Social Justice New National Vision People's National Movement

Defunct parties	African National Congress Butler Party Caribbean National Labour Party Caribbean People's Democratic Party Caribbean Socialist Party Citizens' Alliance Communist Party of Trinidad and Tobago Democratic Action Congress Democratic Labour Party Democratic National Assembly Democratic Party Fargo House Movement Liberal Party Liberation Action Party Movement for Unity and Progress National Alliance for Reconstruction National Democratic Organisation National Freedom Party National Transformation Party National Trinidad and Tobago Party Natural Law Party Organisation for National Reconstruction Party of Political Progress Groups People's Democratic Party People's Empowerment Party People's Popular Movement People's Republican Party People's Voice Party Progressive Democratic Party Seukeran Independent Party Social Democratic Labour Party Tapia House Movement The Mercy Society Trade Union Council Trades Union Congress and Socialist Party Trinidad Labour Party United Freedom Party United Front United Labour Front West Indian Independence Party West Indian National Party West Indian Political Congress Movement Workers and Farmers Party Young People's National Party

Portal:Politics List of political parties Politics of Trinidad and Tobago

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