Post-Cabinet Media Briefing – Thursday 20th March, 2025

Prime Minister the Hon Stuart R. Young, SC provided an update on the status of invitations to three Election Observation Missions for the upcoming General Elections on April 28th, 2025.

Prime Minister Young made the disclosure while speaking at the Post-Cabinet Media Briefing held at Whitehall today (Thursday 20th March, 2025).

In December 2024, former Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley wrote to the CARICOM Secretary-General inviting a delegation to observe this country’s general elections.

In January 2025, that invitation was accepted with an indication that, “The CARICOM Secretariat is fully prepared to undertake the necessary administrative arrangements for the deployment of a CARICOM Election Observation Team to Trinidad and Tobago whenever we receive further information regarding the scheduling of the elections.”

Today Prime Minister Young confirmed that a diplomatic note was sent to CARICOM to officially advise of the date of Trinidad and Tobago’s general elections.

He added that a letter has been sent to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, requesting observation support from the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs has been directed to also prepare correspondence to the Carter Center for their assistance in election observation.

Appointment of SSA Director

The Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr. Arthur Barrington, former Head of the Special Branch, as the new Director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), effective April 1st, 2025. Acting Director of the SSA Brigadier General (Ret’d) Anthony Phillips-Spencer will return to his former post as Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States.

Meeting to discuss Forex

The Prime Minister has invited officials from the Central Bank and the Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago to a meeting at Whitehall on Tuesday 25^th March, 2025 to discuss the allocation of foreign exchange.