Editing Patrick Manning (section)

=== Second term as prime minister ===
{{main|Manning Administration (2001–2010)}}
Unable to elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives, Manning proceeded to rule without Parliament until the need to pass a Budget forced him to call elections in October 2002. His party won this election with 20 seats to 16 for the UNC and formed the new government.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2016-07-03/four-decades-service-tt |title=Four decades of service to T&T |website=The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper |access-date=2018-02-28}}</ref>

[[Image:Patrick Manning and Gordon England.jpg|200px|left|thumb|[[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense]] [[Gordon R. England]], left, talks with Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Patrick Manning during a closed-door meeting inside [[The Pentagon]] 23 June 2008.]]
Under the PNM administration, [[income tax]]es were substantially reduced and the Corporation Tax was  reduced from 35% to 25% of profits for most companies. The Government also instituted free university education. The economy grew a pace, primarily due to high natural gas and oil prices and to significant increases in natural gas production.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/feedarticle/8036242 Guardian.co.uk]</ref> In September 2007, Manning received an honorary doctorate from [[Medgar Evers College]], [[CUNY]].{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

In 2007, Manning called for a [[2007 Trinidad and Tobago general election|general election]] to be held on 4 November. The PNM won this election with 26 of the 41 seats and Manning began his third term as prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web|title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Elections: Trinidad and Tobago Parl Nov 2007|url=https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/411/|access-date=2022-01-22|website=electionguide.org}}</ref>

Subsequently, the country experienced a slow down in the economy. Despite this the economic ratings of the country came in for high praises mainly from the Standards and Poor report on 15 August 2008 which raised Trinidad and Tobago from an "A−" to an "A". The Government of Trinidad and Tobago also hosted King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain on 30 November to 2 December 2008. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the economic ties between Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean and also to open new markets and possibility for increase trading and the opening of new markets. The country also hosted two world summits in 2009: the 5th Summit of the Americas on 17 to 19 April 2009<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fifth Summit of the Americas, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 2009: Background, Expectations, and Results|url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R40074.html|access-date=2022-01-22|website=everycrsreport.com|language=en}}</ref> as well as The Commonwealth Heads of Government on 27 to 29 November 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WHO {{!}} MEETING: Commonwealth Heads of Government|url=https://www.who.int/pmnch/media/events/2009/20091127_chogm/en/|access-date=2022-01-22|website=WHO}}</ref>

The Chilean president [[Michelle Bachelet]] paid Prime Minister Manning and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago a visit in 2010. The purpose was to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries and as a result a formal agreement was signed in an effort to unite the two countries.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

Despite economic growth, crime was considered a serious problem. The number of murders increased sharply from 93 in 1999 to 509 in 2009. Additionally, 2008 saw the country's highest number of murders with 550. The Prime Minister's explanation was that the crime problem was a result of the illegal drug and arms trade. His speech at the 5th summit of the Americas points to the fact that the Caribbean is situated between the narcotic producing South American continent and the narcotic consuming North American continent. Some of his crime detection and prevention methods included the introduction of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT), two surveillance airships (commonly referred to as blimps), and the inclusion of six high speed off-shore patrol vessels for better control of the country's maritime borders and coastlines on 15 February 2010. Manning was quoted as saying that the country could expect to see a 50% decrease in crime because of this effort.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}