Pennelope Beckles was on Wednesday elected as Trinidad’s new Opposition Leader, according to PNM General Secretary Foster Cummings.
Cummings made the announcement moments at a press conference at Balisier House on Wednesday April 30th, 2025.
He also stated that other leadership vacancies—arising from two additional resignations—will be addressed at a later date. Beckles makes history as first female PNM Opposition Leader.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that the General Council is not in favor of former Prime Minister Stuart Young assuming the role of Political Leader, signaling internal resistance to his elevation.
Beckles brings decades of political experience to the table. She first entered Parliament in 1995 as an Opposition Senator and has served in various roles, including as the MP for Arima from 2000 to 2010, and again since 2020.
Her distinguished career also includes appointments as Minister of Planning and Development and Trinidad and Tobago’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
This leadership transition comes in the wake of the PNM’s significant defeat in the April 28, 2025 general election, where the party won only 13 of 41 seats.
