Manning became prime minister in December

Parliament has not met since the general election last December that ended in a tie between the two main political parties.

But despite talks for three hours, supporters of Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his predecessor and rival for the post, Basdeo Panday, failed to elect a speaker.

Mr Panday, of the United National Congress, maintains that if a speaker is not elected by next Tuesday then new elections must be called.

However Mr Manning, of the People's National Movement, says merely opening parliament was enough to satisfy any constitutional requirement.

Correspondents say that if an agreement is not reached between the two parties, the issue is likely to end up in court.

Rivalry

The political deadlock reflects bitter rivalry between the two main political parties, in a country where voters' loyalties are largely determined by ethnic origin.

President Arthur Robinson tried to break the stalemate

Until last December, the governing party was the UNC, which draws most of its support from people of Indian descent.

After the election, it ended up with 18 seats in parliament - as did the PNM, which is supported mainly by Afro-Trinidadians.

President Arthur Robinson tried to resolve the stalemate by deciding on a change of prime minister, and the PNM leader, Patrick Manning, was sworn in on Christmas Eve last year.

However, Mr Panday thought he should have remained in office. He says the only way to settle the matter is for the country to hold its third general election in three years.

To this end, he has launched what he calls a campaign of civil disobedience, comparing his struggle to the non-violent protest movements of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.