Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)

Template:Short description Template:Infobox legislature Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists 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 Wade Mark. As of 20 April 2021, there are only 13 female senators, or 41.9%<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 6 Tobagonian senators or 19.4%.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Party affiliation

Affiliation		Members
style="background:Template:Party color " |	People's National Movement	6
style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	9
style="background:Template:Party color " |	United National Congress	16
Total		31

Leadership

Presiding officers

Office	Officer		Since
President of the Senate		Wade Mark	23 May 2025
Vice President of the Senate		Kenya Charles	23 May 2025

Majority leadership

Office	Officer	Since
Leader of Government Business in the Senate	Darrell Allahar	23 May 2025

Minority leadership

Office	Officer	Since
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate	Amery Browne	25 May 2025

Senators

Current senators

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Member of Parliament	Party		Date appointed as a Senator	Office
Phillip Alexander	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister in the Ministry of Housing
Darrell Allahar	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister
Brian Baig	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025
Leroy Baptiste	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprises
Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social Development and Family Services
Kenya Charles	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Vice President of the Senate
John Jeremie	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Attorney General
Satyakama Maharaj	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Trade, Investment, and Tourism
Wade Mark	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	President of the Senate
David Nakhid	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs
Prakash Persad	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training
Ravi Ratiram	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
Anil Roberts	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister in the Ministry of Housing
Dominic Smith	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence
Kennedy Swaratsingh	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development
Eli Zakour	style="background:Template:Party color" |	UNC	May 2025	Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation
Faris Al-Rawi	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Amery Browne	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Foster Cummings	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Vishnu Dhanpaul	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Janelle John-Bates	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Melanie Roberts-Radgman	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PNM	May 2025
Marlene Attzs	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Sophia Chote	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Simon de la Bastide	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Candice Jones-Simmons	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Alicia Lalite-Ettienne	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Francis Lewis	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Courtney McNish	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Desirée Murray	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025
Anthony Vieira	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	May 2025

Senators until 2025

Member of Parliament	Party		Date appointed as a Senator	Office
Nigel de Freitas	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	23 September 2015	President of the Senate
Reginald Armour	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	16 March 2022	Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs
Hassell Bacchus	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	19 August 2020	Minister of Digital Transformation
Donna Cox	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	21 July 2019	Minister of Social Development and Family Services
Ancil Dennis	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	25 September 2024
Paula Gopee-Scoon	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	11 September 2015	Minister of Trade and Industry
Lawrence Hislop	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	22 March 2022
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	31 October 2016	Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	28 August 2020
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	28 August 2020
Wade Mark	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	23 September 2015	Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate
David Nakhid	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	28 August 2020
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	28 August 2020
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	10 December 2013	Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (until 2025)

Former senators

Senator	Party		Date appointed as a Senator	Date left as a Senator	Office	Ref.
Jearlean John	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	28 August 2020	28 April 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Jennifer Jones-Kernahan	style="background:Template:Party color " |	UNC	20 February 2001	1 March 2010		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Randall Mitchell	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	19 August 2020	28 April 2025	Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	19 August 2020	28 April 2025	Minister in the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	24 November 2015	28 April 2025	Minister of Works and Transport	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Amery Browne	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	19 August 2020	28 April 2025	Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Leader of Government Business in the Senate	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Richie Sookhai	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	18 January 2023	28 April 2025	Minister in the Ministry of Works and Transport	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Allyson West	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	29 June 2017	28 April 2025	Minister of Public Administration	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	28 August 2020	25 September 2024		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	11 June 2021	18 March 2025	Vice President of the Senate	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Joan Hackshaw-Marslin	style="background:Template:Party color " |	PNM	28 August 2002	28 September 2007		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Paul Richards	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	23 September 2015	18 March 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Maria Dillon-Remy	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	20 November 2018	18 March 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Varma Deyalsingh	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	19 October 2018	11 September 2023		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Amrita Deonarine	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	28 August 2020	11 September 2023		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hazel Thompson-Ahye	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	20 November 2018	18 March 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Anthony Viera	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	2 August 2013	18 March 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Evans Welch	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	28 August 2020	11 September 2023		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Ill	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	20 November 2018	18 March 2025		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Charrise Seepersad	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	20 November 2018	11 September 2023		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Jennifer Raffoul	style="background:Template:Party color " |	Independent	23 September 2015	19 November 2018		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• 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

External links

• Template:Official website