Dr. Keith Rowley to step down before term ends, will not contest 2025 General Election

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley announced his plans to step down from office and give up power during the press conference, held on Friday. The leader announced to resign before the legal term of his office comes to an end and to not contest in the upcoming 2025 General Election. 

This announcement by Prime Minister marks the end of an era for the People’s National Movement (PNM), which Dr. Rowley has led for nearly a decade. The announcement comes as the PNM prepares to screen candidates for the Tobago East and West seats. Dr. Rowley said that he will be overseeing the screening for the Tobago West and Tobago East candidates on Saturday before the retreat on Sunday and Monday.

Statements made by PM Keith Rowley 

The Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley made an announcement at a conference in Tobago which he called to discuss and address the matters related to the ongoing State of Emergency. At the end of the conference, PM Rowley announced that he would not be offering himself as a candidate in the upcoming general election. 

He reflected on his journey and said that he has been in public life in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of about 45 years “And at the last election, 2020, when I announced the PNM victory in Baliser House, I said to this country, I will not be doing that again. And I meant it. And I’ve kept it.”

The Prime Minister mentioned about the Tobago’s screening and said that he will continue to be the political leader of the PNM. “We will call for nominations in the other seats where I represent the people of Diego Martin West, who have supported me resolutely from 1991 to now. And I will thank them appropriately and ensure that they are not left adrift, but I will not be offering myself as I just said. I want to say something else. Before the end of the legal limits of this term, I will resign this office and go after my family.”

Keith Rowley's political career

Dr Rowley has been leading Trinidad and Tobago since 2015 and the People’s National Movement (PNM) since 2010. He has also served as the Member of the House of Representatives for Diego Martin west since 1991. The Prime Minister shared that his first job on the public payroll was to plant grass on the Hope Estate in Tobago at seven dollars a day. Following that, he taught school before entering the political arena in 1980.

The leader has been serving Tobago since 1981 and Trinidad for more than 37 years. He became the 7th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, first elected into office on 9th September, 2015 and again in the 2020 general election. The leader led the PNM to victory in 2020 with 22 of 41 parliamentary seats. 

Public reaction after PM Rowley announces plan to resign 

When Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced his plan to resign from the office. A section of the people flooded social media accounts with congratulatory messages, while the remaining slammed him and said that it his consistent failures that has caused him to quit. 

Some individuals appreciated PM Keith Rowley for his tenure and thanked him for working dedicatedly for the welfare of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. An individual said, “My Prime Minister, you will Surely be missed, I can see pain in your eyes, and thank you, you have done a lot for the country.”

Meanwhile, some people slammed PM Rowley and said that, “The fact is that he has destroyed T&T’s economy, bankrupted every single State Enterprises. The fact that crime ridden with his core supporters leading from the front with robberies, kidnapping and murders, this is amidst murderous gang warfare in PNM constituencies.”