Stuart Young Selected For PM

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has announced Energy Minister Stuart Young as his successor when he demits office. He said Minister Young was selected by the Parliamentary Caucus of the People's National Movement. The announcement came on the final day of the Caucus Retreat in Tobago. Speaking to the media on Monday following the Parliamentary Caucus' retreat in Tobago, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley explained that once a vacancy arises with respect to the position of Prime Minister, the President will respond by making an appointment of the person who, in the President's view, commands the majority in the House. "We, as a caucus of the PNM in the House, we discussed at length, and we, in the end, came up with a situation where the entire PNM caucus is in support of Member of Parliament Stuart Young." The choices were Minister Young and Minister of Planning and Development, Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, for Prime Minister when the Parliamentary Caucus placed a vote. In the end, Minister Young was the selected choice as he received the majority of votes. Dr. Rowley believes Minister Young is competent enough to take up the reins as Prime Minister. "While many other members of the Cabinet could also have been considered, I have no doubt that Minister Young's experience, his dedication, and his commitment to the people of Trinidad and Tobago will ensure that during the period that he has the responsibility for being Prime Minister, he will continue to put the people of Trinidad and Tobago's interests first." He explained that before vacating the position, there are final matters he wishes to attend to. "There are a couple of things that I'm still committed to doing before I come out of office. One of which is to attend the CARICOM meeting in Barbados. That is on the 19th of February, and sometime after that I would indicate the actual date when I leave, but I’m busy on some matters that I’m wrapping up. I don’t want to just walk away and leave things that I could do easily for somebody else to do a bit more difficulty." With regard to who will lead the party as Political Leader into the general elections, Dr. Rowley said this will be addressed at a later date. "We will cross those bridges when we come to them. If the election is called tomorrow, I’ll still be Political Leader. If it is called later on, I might not be the Political Leader." The Prime Minister also announced that the People’s National Movement will host their Special Convention on September 28th 2025, instead of 2026.