Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)
(Redirected from Senate of trinidad and tobago)
Senate of Trinidad and Tobago | |
|---|---|
| 11th Republican Parliament | |
 .svg) | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim, PNM since 22 March 2022 | |
Leader of Government Business in the Senate | Amery Browne, PNM since 22 March 2022 |
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 31 |
.svg) | |
Political groups | Government
Other
|
| Elections | |
| Appointment by the president on advice of the prime minister (16), at her discretion (9) and opposition leader (6) | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| The Red House, Abercromby Street, Downtown, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago | |
|
|---|
 Trinidad and Tobago portal |
The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, along with the President and House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago. The Senate currently sits at the Red House. The Senate has 31 members all appointed by the President: 16 Government Senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, 6 Opposition Senators appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 9 Independent Senators appointed on the discretion of the President from outstanding persons who represent other sectors of civil society. The presiding officer, the President of the Senate, is elected from among the Senators who are not Ministers or Parliamentary Secretaries. A senator must be at least 25 years old and a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. The current President of the Senate is Senator Nigel de Freitas. As of 20 April 2021, there are only 13 female senators, or 41.9%[2] and 6 Tobagonian senators or 19.4%.[3][4] The Senate made history on 15 February 2022 by appointing Jowelle de Souza as an acting opposition senator, thus making her the Caribbean's first and only transgender parliamentarian.[5][6][7][8]
Party affiliation
[edit]| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| People's National Movement | 6 | |
| Independent | 9 | |
| United National Congress | 16 | |
| Total | 31 | |
Leadership
[edit]Presiding officers
[edit]| Office | Officer | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Nigel de Freitas | 18 January 2023 | |
| Vice President of the Senate |
 |
Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim | 22 March 2022 |
Majority leadership
[edit]| Office | Officer | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Leader of Government Business in the Senate | Amery Browne | 22 March 2022 |
Minority leadership
[edit]| Office | Officer | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate | Wade Mark | 23 September 2015 |
Senators
[edit]Current senators
[edit]8 senators were appointed in May 2025:[9]
| Member of Parliament | Party | Date appointed as a Senator | Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravi Ratiram | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries | |
| Leroy Baptiste | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprises | |
| Eli Zakour | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation | |
| Dominic Smith | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence | |
| Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services | |
| Anil Roberts | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister in the Ministry of Housing | |
| Prakash Persad | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training | |
| Kennedy Swaratsingh | UNC | 3 May 2025 | Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development | |
| Phillip Alexander[10] | UNC | 7 May 2025 | Minister in the Ministry of Housing | |
| Kama Maharaj[11] | UNC | 7 May 2025 | Minister of Trade, Investment, and Tourism | |
Senators until 2025
[edit]| Member of Parliament | Party | Date appointed as a Senator | Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel de Freitas | PNM | 23 September 2015 | President of the Senate | |
| Reginald Armour | PNM | 16 March 2022 | Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs | |
| Hassell Bacchus | PNM | 19 August 2020 | Minister of Digital Transformation | |
| Donna Cox | PNM | 21 July 2019 | Minister of Social Development and Family Services | |
| Ancil Dennis | PNM | 25 September 2024 | ||
| Paula Gopee-Scoon | PNM | 11 September 2015 | Minister of Trade and Industry | |
| Lawrence Hislop | PNM | 22 March 2022 | ||
| Kazim Hosein | PNM | 31 October 2016 | Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries | |
| Jayanti Lutchmedial | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Damian Lyder | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Wade Mark | UNC | 23 September 2015 | Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate | |
| David Nakhid | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Anil Roberts | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Avinash Singh | PNM | 10 December 2013 | Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (until 2025) | |
Former senators
[edit] |
| Senator | Party | Date appointed as a Senator | Date left as a Senator | Office | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jearlean John | UNC | 28 August 2020 | 28 April 2025 | [12] | ||
| Jennifer Jones-Kernahan | UNC | 20 February 2001 | 1 March 2010 | [13] | ||
| Randall Mitchell | PNM | 19 August 2020 | 28 April 2025 | Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts | [14] | |
| Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal | PNM | 19 August 2020 | 28 April 2025 | Minister in the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs | [15] | |
| Rohan Sinanan | PNM | 24 November 2015 | 28 April 2025 | Minister of Works and Transport | [16] | |
| Amery Browne | PNM | 19 August 2020 | 28 April 2025 | Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs
Leader of Government Business in the Senate |
[17] | |
| Richie Sookhai | PNM | 18 January 2023 | 28 April 2025 | Minister in the Ministry of Works and Transport | [18] | |
| Allyson West | PNM | 29 June 2017 | 28 April 2025 | Minister of Public Administration | [19] | |
| Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing | PNM | 28 August 2020 | 25 September 2024 | [20] | ||
| Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim | PNM | 11 June 2021 | 18 March 2025 | Vice President of the Senate | [21] | |
| Joan Hackshaw-Marslin | PNM | 28 August 2002 | 28 September 2007 | [22] | ||
| Paul Richards | Independent | 23 September 2015 | 18 March 2025 | [23] | ||
| Maria Dillon-Remy | Independent | 20 November 2018 | 18 March 2025 | [24] | ||
| Varma Deyalsingh | Independent | 19 October 2018 | 11 September 2023 | [25] | ||
| Amrita Deonarine | Independent | 28 August 2020 | 11 September 2023 | [26] | ||
| Hazel Thompson-Ahye | Independent | 20 November 2018 | 18 March 2025 | [27] | ||
| Anthony Viera | Independent | 2 August 2013 | 18 March 2025 | [28] | ||
| Evans Welch | Independent | 28 August 2020 | 11 September 2023 | [29] | ||
| Deoroop Teemal | Independent | 20 November 2018 | 18 March 2025 | [30] | ||
| Charrise Seepersad | Independent | 20 November 2018 | 11 September 2023 | [31] | ||
| Jennifer Raffoul | Independent | 23 September 2015 | 19 November 2018 | [32] | ||
See also
[edit]- President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
- Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
- House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago
- Elections in Trinidad and Tobago
- List of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago
- Politics of Trinidad and Tobago
- Tobago House of Assembly
References
[edit]- ^ "Trinidad and Tobago Parliament".
- ^ "Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments". Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ "Log into Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Senate to debate THA Bill on March 2". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ^ "De Souza makes history in Senate". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ "Jowelle De Souza makes history as the first trans woman sworn into the Senate". IzzSo - News travels fast !!. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ "History in Senate: Transgender De Souza Appointed Temporary UNC Senator". AZP News. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ "Jowelle De Souza on Senate appointment: Trinidad and Tobago maturing to accept different people". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ Reporter, Newsday (2025-05-03). "Eight new senators named". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
- ^ Polo, Dareece (2025-05-08). "Phillip Alexander gets Housing Ministry portfolio, admits he'll have to tone down his social media behaviour". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
- ^ Polo, Dareece (2025-05-08). "New Trade Minister eyes linkages with Africa". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
- ^ "Jearlean John – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ "Jennifer Jones-Kernahan". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Randall Mitchell – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ^ "Senator the Honourable Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator the Honourable Rohan Sinanan". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Richie Sookhai – Parliament". ttparliament.org. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "Senator the Honourable Allyson West". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ Moreno, Camille (2024-09-26). "PNM's Lezama-Lee Sing resigns as government senator". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ "Senator Dr. Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Joan Hackshaw-Marslin – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Paul Richards – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ^ "Senator Maria Dillon-Remy". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator Dr. Varma Deyalsingh". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator Amrita Deonarine". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator Hazel Thompson-Ahye". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator Anthony Vieira SC". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Evans Welch – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ "Senator Deoroop Teemal". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Senator Charrise Seepersad". Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
- ^ "Jennifer Raffoul – Parliament". www.ttparliament.org. Archived from the original on 2025-03-23. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
Notes
[edit]- ^ de Freitas was elected President of the Senate under the nomination of the PNM. However, the position of Senate President is officially one without political affiliation.[1]
