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]
Senate of Trinidad and Tobago | |
|---|---|
| 11th Republican Parliament | |
  | |
| 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 |
 | |
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 | |
Party affiliation
edit| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| People's National Movement | 16 | |
| Independent | 9 | |
| United National Congress | 6 | |
| Total | 31 | |
Leadership
editPresiding 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| Member of Parliament | Party | Date Appointed as a Senator | Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigel de Freitas | PNM | 23 September 2015 | President of the Senate | |
| Reginald Amour | PNM | 16 March 2022 | Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs | |
| Hassell Bacchus | PNM | 19 August 2020 | Minister of Digital Transformation | |
| Amery Browne | PNM | 19 August 2020 | Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs
Leader of Government Business in the Senate | |
| Donna Cox | PNM | 21 July 2019 | Minister of Social Development and Family
Services | |
| Amrita Deonarine | Independent | 20 November 2018 | ||
| Varma Deyalsingh | Independent | 19 October 2018 | ||
| Maria Dillon-Remy | Independent | 20 November 2018 | ||
| 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 | |
| Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim | PNM | 11 June 2021 | Vice President of the Senate | |
| Jearlean John | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing | PNM | 28 August 2020 | ||
| 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 | |
| Randall Mitchell | PNM | 19 August 2020 | Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts | |
| David Nakhid | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Paul Richards | Independent | 23 September 2015 | ||
| Anil Roberts | UNC | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal | PNM | 19 August 2020 | Minister in the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs | |
| Charrise Seepersad | Independent | 20 November 2018 | ||
| Rohan Sinanan | PNM | 24 November 2015 | Minister of Works and Transport | |
| Avinash Singh | PNM | 10 December 2013 | Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture,
Land and Fisheries | |
| Richie Sookhai | PNM | 18 January 2023 | Minister in the Ministry of Works and Transport | |
| Deoroop Teemal | Independent | 20 November 2018 | ||
| Hazel Thompson-Ahye | Independent | 20 November 2018 | ||
| Anthony Viera | Independent | 2 August 2013 | ||
| Evans Welch | Independent | 28 August 2020 | ||
| Allyson West | PNM | 29 June 2017 | Minister of Public Administration | |
See also
editReferences
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. 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.
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]