Stuart Young Chosen as Successor to Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Dr. Rowley for Smooth Transition

SCARBOROUGH – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Monday said his Energy and Energy Industries Minister, Stuart Young, had been chosen by the legislative caucus of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) to succeed him as prime minister and that “the promise of a smooth transition is going according to plan”.

In a brief statement, Young, 49, said he “would like to sincerely thank my parliamentary colleagues for the confidence they have expressed in me,” thanking also Prime Minister Rowley “for his continued and exemplary leadership in guiding us through a historic process.

“I am proud to be a member of the People’s National Movement (PNM) and look forward to working tirelessly not only with all of our members but also with all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago as we continue working towards the building of our country and ensuring its future success,” Young added.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Rowley announced that he would be resigning from office before the end of the term of his current government by August this year and on Monday told reporters here “there are a couple of things I am committed to doing before I come out of office”.

He said he intends to attend the meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to be held in Barbados on February 19, “and sometime after that I will indicate the actual date when I leave.

“But I a busy on some matters that I a wrapping up. I don’t want to walk away and do things I could easily for somebody else to do,” said the 75-year-old Rowley, who has been in active politics for the past 45 years.

“So, I am pretty much winding up these matters. That will be my last CARICOM meeting and I am chairman of a couple positions there. I want to make sure that one, they now know that I am going and two, what we are able to do in closing off”.

Rowley said that the Bridgetown meeting will also allow him to deal with matters of regional security and West Indies cricket.

He said following CARICOM meeting he returns home and will wrap up several matters while getting “ready for Carnival and moving out of this position”.

Rowley, the seventh prime minister of the oil rich twin island republic, said that under the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution, the President Christine Kangaloo will appoint a person from the government benches whom she believes commands the support of the majority of government legislators.

“We as a caucus of PNM in the House, we discussed at length and in the end came up with a situation where the entire PNM caucus is in support of…Young,” Rowley, speaking at the close of the government’s parliamentary retreat here, adding we are very pleased to announce that the promise of a smooth transition is going according to plan”.