PNM in Crisis: Penelope Beckles leads Opposition amid party turmoil

Penelope Beckles has been named the new Opposition Leader in Trinidad and Tobago, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position for the People’s National Movement. Arima MP Beckes claimed the position of an Opposition leader by a thin margin of 7-6, voted on by the 13 elected PNM MPs.

The announcement was made during a press briefing on Wednesday, 30th April, 2025 at Balisier House. As per reports, the six elected Members of Parliament from the People’s National Movement have signed a document endorsing Penelope Beckles-Robinson as their choice for Opposition Leader.  

Beckles received support from MPs including, Colm Imbert, Kareem Marcelle, Symon de Nobriga, Marvin Gonzales, Keith Scotland and Nyan Gadsby-Doll. The MPs who did not sign the document included Former Prime Minister and Party Chairman Stuart Young, Brian Manning, Hans Des Vignes, Dominic Romain, Camille Robinson-Regis and Christian Birchwood.

People’s National Movement faced challenging defeat 

The newly-elected Opposition Leader, Penelope Beckles has expressed her excitement and said that she is looking forward to being the first female leader of People’s National Movement. She emphasised on the drastic decline of the People’s National Movement from holding 22 seats to now just 13. “The party was really upset and disappointed, however, the PNM is a resilient party. I am very sure that we’ll be back in government in the shortest possible time.”

As per the data, PNM has lost a whopping 102,000 votes compared to 2020 General Election, marking a 31% drop. The part’s support has declined in every section since 2015. According to the data, the PNM received around 378,447 which were 56,267 more votes than its total in 2020. The figure outlines that the PNM Party has lost around 160,000 votes since 2015. 

No objection to meeting UNC leader – Penelope Beckles 

Emphasising on their relations with the ruling party, UNC, Penelope Beckles noted that they would have no objection to meeting the new elect Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to find common ground on issues. Beckles noted that as a responsible opposition, they believe the need arises for them to meet with the prime minister on certain areas. “I will meet with the parliamentary caucus, get their views and as a team move forward,” noted Penelope Beckles. 

She added that they are committed to analyse all these significant issues, ensuring their supporters vote them in the next local government and general elections. 

PNM Leadership Changes 

During the press briefing, the General Secretary Foster Cummings also confirmed the resignations of Stuart Young and Rohan Sinanan from their leadership posts. He noted that these vacancies would be addressed at a later date. He added that the remaining members of the leadership will meet soon to decide on the process of filling the diverse positions.

The General Secretary noted that the post of the leaders will be filled within six months. Therefore, the leadership will meet and present a proposal to the council, outlining the timeframe and mechanism for the election. Along with that, the Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley has also announced his resignation. All these changes are a part of the PNM’s efforts to reviewing what went wrong with the party and what can be done to recover lost political ground.