Stuart Young, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries of Trinidad and Tobago, will be the country’s next Prime Minister. He is set to replace Dr. Keith Rowley, who said last week that he will resign from the post ahead of the conclusion of the term in August.
Rowley told Trinidad media on Monday that the Parliamentary Caucus of the People’s National Movement (PNM), the majority party, decided on Young while at a 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, the state-owned TTT News reported.
Rowley is reported as saying, “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.”
Young, an attorney-at-law, was first elected to the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament in 2015. He has served in ministerial roles for Legal Affairs, State, Communications, and National Security.
He has been the Energy Minister since 2021, taking up the role after the passing of Energy Minister Franklin Khan. The country is facing a years-long decline in natural gas production that threatens the sustenance of Trinidadians’ quality of life.
Young will take over the Prime Minister role during a tragic period in Trinidad’s history, as the State battles an unprecedented level of killings and gang violence. A state of emergency was declared at the end of December 2024.
