Related Research Articles
The politics of Trinidad and Tobago function within the framework of a unitary state regulated by a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,from which the country gained its independence in 1962. Under the 1976 republican Constitution,the monarch was replaced as head of state by a President chosen by an electoral college composed of the members of the bicameral Parliament,consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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.
Trinidad and Tobago elects its House of Representatives on the national level. The head of government,the prime minister,is chosen from among the elected representatives on the basis of his or her command of the support of the majority of legislators. The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 41 members,elected for a maximum five-year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 31 members:16 government senators appointed on the advice of the prime minister,six opposition senators appointed on the advice of the leader of the opposition and nine so-called independent senators appointed by the president to represent other sectors of civil society. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of the members of both houses of Parliament. Other elected bodies include the local government bodies in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly,which handles local government in the island of Tobago and is entrenched in the constitution.
The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. Besides the President of Trinidad and Tobago,it is composed of the House of Representatives,which is composed of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in addition to 41 directly elected members serving a five-year term in single-seat constituencies,and the Senate which has 31 members 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 by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. It is at present the only parliament in the world with an incumbent female President,President of the Senate,Speaker of the House of Representatives and Leader of the Opposition and made history by appointing the Caribbean's first and only transgender parliamentarian on 15 February 2022. As of 20 April 2021,there are only 24 female members,or 32.9% and eight members born in Tobago or 11.0%.
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% and 6 Tobagonian senators or 19.4%. 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.
The Trinity Cross was the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago,between the years 1969 and 2008. It was awarded for:"distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. It was awarded for gallantry in the face of the enemy,or for gallant conduct." Either nationals or non-nationals were awarded the honour,but no more than five may have been awarded in any year. The President was awarded the Trinity Cross in an ex officio capacity. The award was first presented in 1969,last conferred in 2005,and was subsequently replaced by The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the year 2008.
Muslims constitute 5.6 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago. The majority live in Trinidad but there are a handful in Tobago as well.
Raziah Ahmed is a former Senator of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
The president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is generally elected from the government benches. The president chairs debates in the chamber of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago and stands in for the country's president during periods of absence or illness. A vice-president of the Senate is also elected from among the senators. The current president of the Senate is Senator Nigel de Freitas.
Keith Christopher Rowley,is a Trinidadian politician serving as the seventh prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago,first elected into office on 9 September 2015 and again following the 2020 general election. He has led the People's National Movement (PNM) since May 2010 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2010 to 2015. He has also served as the Member of the House of Representatives for Diego Martin West since 1991. He is a volcanologist by profession,holding a doctorate in geology,specializing in geochemistry.
Joseph Emmanuel Carter was a Trinidad and Tobago civil servant and politician. He served as President of the Senate between 1990 and 1995.
Nikoli Edwards is a politician and political activist from Trinidad and Tobago. On 11 January 2017 he was appointed as a temporary Independent member of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago by former President Anthony Carmona. He launched a new political party called the Progressive Party on 16 June 2019. On the 11th of August 2020,Trinidad and Tobago held their General Elections where Edwards contested a seat,San Fernando West. His rivals were Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Sean Sobers (UNC). Nikoli Edwards,interim leader of the Progressive party lost the general elections and San Fernando West was retained by current Member of Parliament and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi. Nikoli obtained 211 votes for the Progressive Party.
Senator Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir is an economist and served as an Independent Senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate from 2013 to 2018.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a Guyanese politician serving as the tenth and current president of Guyana since 2020. A member of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C),he previously served as the minister of Housing and Water from 2009 to 2015. He is the first Muslim to hold office,and is the third Muslim head of state in the Americas after Noor Hassanali of Trinidad and Tobago and Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina.
The Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation was the bicameral legislature in West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. It was formally made up of two houses,an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives.
Christine Carla Kangaloo is a Trinidadian politician,who is the president of Trinidad and Tobago since 2023. She was president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 until her resignation to run for president in 2023. She is the only person to serve as both President and Vice President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago,the first woman to serve as Senate Vice President and third woman to serve as acting President of Trinidad and Tobago and Senate President. She became the second woman to serve as President of Trinidad and Tobago upon her assumption of office on 20 March 2023. Kangaloo has served as an Opposition Senator,Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister,Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Science,Technology and Tertiary Education in previous People's National Movement governments.
Randall Mitchell is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and lawyer who currently serves as the Minister of Tourism,Culture and the Arts since 19 August 2020. He first entered Parliament as the elected representative for San Fernando East in the 11th Republican Parliament (2015). He was appointed a senator in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate on 19 August 2020. He is a member of the People's National Movement.
Shamfa Ashaki Cudjoe is a Trinidad and Tobago politician representing the People's National Movement. She has served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Tobago West since the 2015 general election. She is the current Minister of Sport and Community Development.
Garvin Edward Timothy Nicholas is a Trinidad and Tobago politician and former diplomat. He served as a temporary Opposition Senator representing the United National Congress (UNC) in the 8th Republican Parliament and the 10th Republican Parliament. He was the Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2010 until 2013 and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Trinidad and Tobago to Denmark,Finland,Norway,Sweden and Germany. He served as the Attorney General for Trinidad and Tobago from 3 February 2015 until 17 June 2015. He is the leader of the Movement for National Development (MND),a political party which contested the 2020 general election.
Nigel de Freitas is a Trinidadian politician from People's National Movement. He is the current president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago. He took office in January 2023.
References
- ↑ "Senator the Honourable Dr. Wahid Ali". www.ttparliament.org/. Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
- 1 2 3 4 "General Information 2018 - Parliament of T&T by The Art Bank Limited". issuu.com. Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. 2 February 2023.
- ↑ Stapleton, Roxanne (16 June 2008). "Senator Dr. Wahid Ali - Caribbean Muslims".
 | This article about a Trinidad and Tobago politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |