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 Trinidad and Tobagoportal |
From 1962 to 1976, the head of state under the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 was the Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II, who was also the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was viceregally represented in Trinidad and Tobago by a governor-general. Trinidad and Tobago became a republic under the Constitution of 1976 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president.
The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.
| No. | Portrait | Monarch (Birth–Death) | Reign | Royal house | Prime minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||||
| 1 |  | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 31 August 1962 | 1 August 1976 | 13 years, 336 days | Windsor | Williams |
The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Trinidad and Tobago and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago, without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy, the chief justice served as officer administering the government under a dormant commission.
| No. | Portrait | Governor-General (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Prime minister | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Sir Solomon Hochoy (1905–1983) | 31 August 1962 | 15 September 1972 | 10 years, 15 days | Williams | Elizabeth II | |
| 2 |  | Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010) | 15 September 1972 | 1 August 1976 | 3 years, 321 days | ||
Under the 1976 Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the president replaced the monarch as head of state. The president was elected by Parliament for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the President of the Senate served as acting president.
| Portrait | President (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Prime minister(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | | Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010) | 1976 1982 | 1 August 1976 | 24 September 1976 | 10 years, 230 days | Williams Chambers Robinson |
| 24 September 1976 | 19 March 1987 | ||||||
| 2 | Noor Hassanali (1918–2006) | 1987 1992 | 20 March 1987 | 17 March 1997 | 9 years, 362 days | Robinson Manning Panday | |
| 3 |  | A. N. R. Robinson (1926–2014) | 1997 | 18 March 1997 | 16 March 2003 | 5 years, 363 days | Panday Manning |
| 4 |  | George Maxwell Richards (1931–2018) | 2003 2008 | 17 March 2003 | 18 March 2013 | 10 years, 1 day | Manning Persad-Bissessar |
| 5 |  | Anthony Carmona (born 1953) | 2013 | 18 March 2013 | 19 March 2018 | 5 years, 1 day | Persad-Bissessar Rowley |
| 6 |  | Paula-Mae Weekes (born 1958) | 2018 | 19 March 2018 | 20 March 2023 | 5 years, 1 day | Rowley |
| 7 |  | Christine Kangaloo (born 1961) | 2023 | 20 March 2023 [1] | Incumbent | 1 year, 128 days | Rowley |
The president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander-in-chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before which the head of state was the Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II. The last governor-general, Sir Ellis Clarke, was sworn in as the first president on 1 August 1976 under a transitional arrangement. He was formally chosen as president by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of Parliament on 24 September 1976, which is now celebrated as Republic Day.
Elizabeth II was Queen of Trinidad and Tobago from the independence of Trinidad and Tobago on 31 August 1962 until the country became a republic on 1 August 1976. Her constitutional role as head of state was delegated to a governor-general, who acted on the advice of government ministers.
