The Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is the appointed Upper House

Upper house

An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...

 of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago

Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago

The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. It consists of the elected House of Representatives, which has 43 members elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies, and the Senate which has 31...

. The Senate sits in the Red House

The Red House (Trinidad and Tobago)

The Red House is the seat of Parliament in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The architectural design of the Red House is of Greek revival style. The original building was destroyed in the 1903 water riots and was rebuilt in the year 1907. The Red House is located centrally within the capital...

 in Port of Spain

Port of Spain

Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...

. The Senate has 31 members: 16 Government Senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

, 6 Opposition Senators appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 9 Independent Senators appointed by the President

President of Trinidad and Tobago

The President of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago, and the commander in chief of its armed forces. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before which the head of state was Queen Elizabeth II...

 to represent other sectors of civil society. The presiding officer, the President of the Senate

President of the Senate

The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...

, is usually elected from the Government benches. A senator must be at least 25 years old.

Independent Senators

• Sen. Harold Ramkissoon
• Sen. Dr Victor Wheeler
• Sen. Elton Prescott, SC
• Sen. Dr James Kenneth Armstrong
• Sen. Dr Rolph Balgobin
• Sen. Helen Drayton
• Sen. Corinne Baptiste-McKnight
• Sen. Basharat Ali
• Sen. Subhas Ramkhelawan

Government Senators

• Sen. Lyndira Oudit (Senate Vice President)
• Sen. Emmanuel George (Leader of Government Business in the Senate)
• Sen. Anand Ramlogan
• Sen. Vasant Bharath
• Sen. John Sandy
• Sen. Devant Maharaj
  Devant Maharaj
  Devant Maharaj is a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He is a member of the United National Congress. On June 27, 2011 he became a member of the Senate of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Minister of Transport following his appointment as Chairman of the Public Transport Corporation of...
  
  
• Sen. Fazal Karim
• Sen. Verna St Rose-Greaves
• Sen. Nicole Dyer-Griffith
• Sen. Bhoe Tewarie
• Sen. Kevin Ramnarine
• Sen. David Abdulah
• Sen. Embau Moheni
• Sen. Danny Maharaj
• Sen. Terrence Baynes

(as of 28 June 2011)

Opposition Senators

• Sen. Pennelope Beckles-Robinson (Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate)
• Sen. Faris Al-Rawi
• Sen. Shamfa Cudjoe
• Sen. Terrence Deyalsingh
• Sen. Dr Lester Henry
• Sen. Fitzgerald Hinds

See also

• President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
  President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago
  The President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago is generally elected from the government benches. He or she chairs debates in the chamber 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...
  
  
• Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
  Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
  The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. It consists of the elected House of Representatives, which has 43 members elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies, and the Senate which has 31...
  
  
• House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago
  House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago
  The House of Representatives is the elected Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The House of Representatives sits in the Red House in Port of Spain. It has 41 members, each elected to represent single-seat constituencies...
  
  
• Elections in Trinidad and Tobago
  Elections in Trinidad and Tobago
  Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago.Trinidad and Tobago elects on national level a House of Representatives...
  
  
• List of political parties in Trinidad and Tobago
• Politics of Trinidad and Tobago
  Politics of Trinidad and Tobago
  The politics of Trinidad and Tobago function within the framework of a unitary state regulated by a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of the UK, from which the country gained its independence in 1962...
  
  

External links

• Website of the Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago